Painting Your Own Path
by flower-in-her-hair
Summary: Rapunzel is an art student at the University of Corona. Join her as she experiences the university life and learns lessons in overcoming your past, friendship, partying, cramming and even love. Rated T for later chapters.  ps I suck at summaries
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tangled or Disney nor am I in any way affiliated with them. **

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><p>For the first time ever she's completely free. There Rapunzel stands at the door of her dorm room, key and luggage in hand, ready to start this new chapter in her life. She had been accepted to study Art and Art History at the University of Corona on a full scholarship. Art had always been a passion of hers but today she was finally pursuing it. Taking a deep breath she inserts her key and pushes open the door, revealing her quaint residence. It was just one room with two beds on either side, two tiny closets and two desks. She runs right for one of the beds and flops down on it, letting out an excited squeal. Just then the door opens and a tall girl with a black bob haircut strolls in. Rapunzel jumps off her bed and straightens out her messy blonde locks.<p>

"Hi, I'm Rapunzel!" she says excitedly .

"Umm. Hi, I'm Dana. Can I call you Punz? I like Punz" the other girl hesitates a little before extending her hand to Rapunzel. Eagerly Rapunzel shakes it.

"Umm sure. Call me whatever you want. ooh, I just know we'll be great friends". Rapunzel beams

"Just as long as you keep you things on your half of the room I'm sure we'll get along just fine" Dana chuckles a little. That should be easy enough. Rapunzel barely brought anything with her, basically just a suitcase of clothes and her art supplies.

"Oh, just one question though. Do you mind if I decorate our room a little bit? I really can't stand bare walls" Rapunzel asks.

"Knock yourself out" Dana shrugs.

"You are the best roommate ever!" Rapunzel smiles. Instead of unpacking she sits down on her bed and begins sketching plans of all the pictures that she would collage the walls with. She's a little upset that the rules state that she can't actually paint on the walls, but she'll make do just putting up some paintings and drawings.

"Uh oh, we have to go. We have a community meeting with our dorm advisor like now" Dana says about an hour later. She grabs Rapunzel's arm and pulls her off the bed just as she is finishing her sketches.

"Umm..okay" Rapunzel says, allowing Dana to pull her all the way to the lounge for the meeting.

"You're late…by 30 seconds. Your tardiness will not be tolerated" a very intimidating male approaches the two girls as they enter the lounge. His hair is a very light shade of blonde, so light that it's almost white and he has large brown eyes. By far his most striking feature though is that he's extremely tall and muscular. Rapunzel can't help but think that he could snap her in half in one swift movement.

"Hey Max, calm down" another guy says as he makes a calming motion in the air with his hands, "It was thirty seconds, no one died. Everything's okay." This other guy was short with bright green spiked hair and really large brown eyes.

Max rolls his eyes and lets out a large sigh, "Take a seat ladies" he groans. The girls sit down on the floor cross legged beside the green haired boy.

As soon as they sit down Max starts the meeting "First things first, house checks. They will happen once a month and I expect your room to be spotless.. If it is not, there will be consequences. Second order of business. The quiet hours are 12am-8am Sunday til Thursday and 2AM-10AM Friday and Saturday. If I hear much more than a peep from your room during those hours than there will be consequences as I don't like my sleep being disturbed" Max rambles through every single rule the university has, making sure to note that if any are broken that there will be consequences. By the end of the meeting Rapunzel is just sitting there with her eyes wide open trying to take everything in.

"You okay?" the green haired boy asks.

"Ya, just taking it all in. What if I break a rule though? What are the consequences? Will I be kicked out of school?" Rapunzel asks, her voice drenched in fear.

"Pff, no. Max may seem tough but trust me…he's a softie deep down. I've known him since boy scouts….he was really anal about rules then too. He once told me I would get arrested cause I took two cookies at snack time instead of one. If you do disobey a rule then just give Max an apple and suddenly you'll be on his good side"

"An apple?" Dana asks confused.

"Yup, he loves them. Personally I prefer grapes and oranges but whatever floats his boat I guess"

"Ah, well thanks for everything….umm…" Rapunzel then realizes she didn't get the boy's name.

"It's Pascal. The great, dashing, daring Pascal" he boasts.

"Ooh Pascal, like the mathematician? Are you a math genius?" Rapunzel asks excitedly, "Oh and my name's Rapunzel by the way and this is my roomie Dana"

" Nice to meet you two lovely ladies" Pascal gives them a grin, "No, I am not a math genius by any means. I'm an artist who has a fascination with chameleons. They are quite the artistic animals with their colour changing abilities" he pulls out a sketchbook filled with drawings he has made of chameleons.

"I'm an art student too" Rapunzel claps excitedly as she stares at his sketches, "oh Pascal, you're so talented. I have never drawn a chameleon before, or even seen one in person actually"

Pascal gasps, "Oh the horror! We will have to fix that! On my next drawing trip to the zoo I am taking you with me"

"oh really? Thank you Pascal! I am excited already" Rapunzel smiles.

"Excellent. Now ladies, may I escort you back to your dorms?" Pascal stands up and offers an arm to each girl.

Rapunzel can't help but smile as the three of them walk down the hall. She's so excited to have already made two friends. This was going to be a great year, she could tell.

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><p><strong>Author Note:<strong> I know this chapter may seem kind of boring but I wanted to get some of the intros to the characters out of the way before diving into the more exciting stuff.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with Disney. I do not own Tangled either**

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><p>Rapunzel's first week at school was going very well thus far. She is particularly excited for today though. Not only is it Friday, but they we going to do their first drawing in her figure class. She takes a seat right In front of the window so she can feel the warm sun shine on her back as she's drawing. As she waits for class to start she begins organizing her pencils by decreasing hardness along her easel, making sure to sharpen any that may be dull. She's so focused on her pencils that she barely notices Pascal walk in and sit down next to her.<p>

"Hello there. How's it shaking today?" Pascal asks as he takes a seat beside her.

"hello Pascal. It's shaking great today" Rapunzel says without removing her eyes from her pencils.

"Oh, I see how it is. You can't even bother to make eye contact with me. I'm hurt" Pascal sighs.

"I'm so sorry Pascal. I just want my sketch to be perfect and in order for me to have a perfect sketch I have to organize my pencils" Rapunzel says as her eyes meet Pascal's.

"It's okay, I was joking anyway. You need to chill out. Your sketch will be one thousand times better than mine as I hate drawing people and am only in this class because it is a prerequisite. Say, perhaps you could do my sketch too?" Pascal smirks.

"Not a chance. What would that teach you? Nothing. I will not bail you out" Rapunzel crosses her arms over her chest. Pascal sticks his tongue out at her in response.

"Oh come on Pascal, it's not so bad" Rapunzel giggles. She can hear the familiar sound of their teacher's heels on the floor. Quickly she turns away from Pascal and to the front of the room, very anxious to hear their instructions.

"good morning class. I would like to introduce you all to Mr. Flynn Rider. He will be your model today. Please give him a warm welcome" their teacher, Mrs. Rogers, announces as she gestures to the man standing beside her. Rapunzel immediately concentrates on him, taking in every detail that she would have to draw. She focuses on his wispy brown locks of hair, his expressive hazel eyes, his slightly slanted smile, the small goatee covering his chin and also his broad shoulders. He notices Rapunzel staring at him which prompts him to give her a smirk and a raise of his eyebrows. Rapunzel blushes a bit and looks down to her pencils, picking out the perfect one to start with. When she brings her gaze back to him, ready to draw, he suddenly unties his robe and lets it fall to the ground. Having never seen a naked man before Rapunzel is very flustered. She takes in a deep breath and then lets out a small scream , covering her mouth with her hands afterward. Pascal turns a deep shade of red and he covers his eyes with his hands.

"Is there a problem you two?" Ms. Rogers asks, giving them each a cold glare. If the whole class wasn't already looking at them, then now they were .

"I…uh..just dropped my pencil" Rapunzel stutters as she bends down and pretends to pick up a pencil. Pascal just nods as he spreads his fingers apart to peak at Ms. Rogers. The two of them take slow, deep breaths before they focus their gaze on their naked subject, then quickly averting their eyes to their paper to draw. Rapunzel can feel her hand shaking as she tries to put her pencil to the paper. Her hand only shakes more as she moves from drawing his face to his chest, his torso to his legs and what was between them. The second the clock strikes one and the class is over Rapunzel grabs her pencils and shoves them in her bag. She walks out the room as quickly as she can and doesn't look back.

Once she returns home she flops down on her bed face first, totally oblivious to Dana who is sitting across the room on her own bed.

"Rough day at the cabbage patch?" Dana asks.

"You have no idea. I had to sketch a naked guy in figure class" Rapunzel groans, lifting her head up just long enough to talk and then burying it back in the pillow.

"Was he old or ugly or something?"

"Well, no. He was only a few years older than us. He was kind of attractive too" Rapunzel says into the pillow.

"Umm, I fail to see the problem then. You should be jumping for joy over this" Dana laughs.

"Dana! I had to stare at him…naked. It was awkward and it was made even more awkward by the fact that he seemed to enjoy it" Rapunzel groans. There's a knock at the door and Rapunzel slowly rolls out of bed to answer it. She expects that it's Pascal but that's not who she finds when she opens the door. Standing there, in front of her is the now fully clothed Flynn Rider. At the sight of his face she lets out a little scream and slams the door shut.

"Dana…naked guy is here"

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><p><strong>Author Note:<strong> Thank you so much to everyone who is reading this story and to those that have reviewed!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Disney. I do not own Tangled or any of it's characters**

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><p>Rapunzel stands there frozen, her eyes open wide and fixed on her roommate. There's another knock at the door.<p>

"I have something of yours that you may want" a voice from the other side of the door says.

"Whoa, he sounds hot!" Dana says.

"What do I do?" Rapunzel whines.

"You open the damn door. That is typically what one does when someone knocks on their door" Dana laughs. Rapunzel rolls her eyes, takes a deep breath and swings the door open.

"Oh hey, I thought you were going to leave me out here all day" he smirks

"How did you find me? What do you have of mine and why do you have it?" Rapunzel blurts out.

"Whoa there Blondie" he raises his hands, "I have your sketchbook because you left it in class and being the gentleman that I am, I came here to return it to you. I know where you live because you wrote your address on the inside cover" he reaches into the bag that is slung over his shoulder and pulls out the black hard covered sketchbook. Rapunzel quickly grabs her sketchbook and hugs it to her chest.

"Thank-you , uh…Mr. Rider"

"Please Blondie, you've seen me naked. I think that means we're past the formality stage. Call me Flynn" he smirks.

"Okay, well thank-you Flynn. My name's Rapunzel though, not Blondie" Rapunzel says putting a hand on her hip.

"Oh ya, now that you mention it I remember seeing that name in your book. It's definitely a unique name to say the least" he shrugs.

"Oh and since we're doing introductions, I'm Dana, Rapunzel's roommate" Dana pushes Rapunzel aside a little so she can stand beside her in the doorway.

"Why hello there..Dana" Flynn gives her a wink, seeing that she's smitten. Rapunzel just rolls her eyes.

"Oh, one more thing before I go" Flynn says placing a hand on Rapunzel's shoulder and leaning in closer, "Don't be embarrassed about your little outburst in class. Women tend to not be able to control themselves around me, it happens a lot" Rapunzel looks to his hand, staring at it as it sits there on her shoulder. Then she shifts her gaze to his face. His hazel eyes are right there and they meet hers. Suddenly her mouth feels dry and she can't seem to form any words.

"Anyway, nice meeting you girls" Flynn removes his hand from Rapunzel's shoulder, letting it fall to his side, "See you next Friday Rapunzel"

"Wha…what?" Rapunzel squeaks out, escaping the trance she was in earlier.

"Yup, today was just a practice run. The real assignment is going to be next week" Flynn turns away and he disappears down the hallway.

"Holy crap, he's a dreamboat" Dana sighs.

"Great, I have to sit thorough another session of his nakedness" Rapunzel groans .

"You don't have to. You could go do my chemistry lab and I'll draw him. I'm that good of a friend that I would do that for you"

"How kind of you" Rapunzel lets out a little chuckle as she shuts the door.

"I bet he has the most amazing rectus abdominis muscles" Dana smirks.

"Do I want to know what a rectus abdominis is?" Rapunzel asks in confusion.

"Abs, I bet he has quite the six pack"

"Can we just not talk about his body, please" Rapunzel whines

"Okay, lets talk about how he was flirting with you" Dana giggles.

"He was not!" Rapunzel says sternly

"Oh, he was" Dana chuckles.

"Well, he probably acts like that around all girls then" Rapunzel shifts her gaze away from her friend. She really didn't know how she felt about the idea of the guy she just met flirting with her.

"You're right. He seems like the type that would hit on anything with boobs. I still think he was at least a bit sweet on you. I mean he didn't just handover the book and run"

"I don't think he's my type. Even if I have…boobs" Rapunzel blushes, "Now, we have more important things to do than talk about some guy who will have no relevance a week from now. We need to start working on our paintings for this room. The white walls are driving me insane". Maybe it was the insanity due to the white walls, but Rapunzel could still feel Flynn's hand on her shoulder.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Disney. I don't own Tangled or it's characters either.**

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><p>"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, open up this damn door" Pascal bangs his fist on her door.<p>

"Geez Pascal, a little impatient" Rapunzel giggles, opening the door.

"Yes! We have to be at the zoo as soon as it opens! That way we can guarantee the best spots to sit and draw." Pascal grabs her hand and pulls her into the hallway, "Now, we have just enough time to grab some fruit for breakfast and then board the bus and begin or journey" Pascal squeaks. Despite his excitement, Pascal falls asleep on the bus with his head resting on Rapunzel's shoulder as she looks in awe at the passing landscapes, at the sun just starting to peek over the tall city buildings. Rapunzel just couldn't believe that everyone else on the bus wasn't bothering to enjoy the sights, they were mostly consumed by their newspapers.

"Pascal, Pascal. Look! We're here!" Rapunzel shakes him awake.

"So we are" Pascal yawns.

"oh which animals should we go see first? Giraffes! No, penguins! No, elephants!" Rapunzel jumps up and down in excitement. Pascal cocks an eyebrow at her in response and starts pulling her into the zoo.

"Oh right, we have to see the chameleons first" Rapunzel giggles.

"Umm, Pascal. I don't see anything" Rapunzel stares into the tank in confusion.

"He's there. He's just camouflaging. Look, he's right there on that twig" Pascal points to a tiny tan coloured chameleon.

"So he is! He is such a good hider. Pascal, have you ever thought of what it may be like playing hide and go seek with a chameleon? I bet that would be fun" Rapunzel gasps, clapping her hands with excitement.

"Yes, I suppose it would be , wouldn't it?" Pascal laughs a little, "Now you stay right here. I'm going to go get us some stools to sit on while we draw" Rapunzel nods as she stares at the little chameleon in the tank. She wanted to know everything about this creature, especially how it was able to change colour. Just then the chameleon sticks out it's tongue, catching a bug that was resting on the twig.

"Pascal! You missed it! The chameleon, he stuck out his tongue like this.." Rapunzel sticks out her tongue at Pascal when he returns, "except his tongue was longer, really long. He used it to catch a bug then eat it!" Rapunzel is just beaming with joy over this little animal. Pascal just smiles at her. He just loved her excitement and that he got to experience it with her. As they are drawing, Rapunzel is so focused on that little chameleon that she doesn't say a word. She simply stares and then busily draws what she has taken in.

"So, have you decided what animal you want to see next?" Pascal breaks the silence.

"No, not yet. There's just so many animals and I want to see them all, I don't know where to start. Why have I waited so long to come here?" Rapunzel gushes.

"Wait, you haven't been to the zoo before? You were seriously deprived as a child then" Pascal gasps. When she hears those words Rapunzel instantly freezes and her eyes widen. Those words seem to echo around in her mind, bouncing off of a bunch of memories of her past and causing them to flash back to her .

"Rapunzel, I was joking. I'm sure you had a lovely childhood and you grew up with caring and loving parents" Pascal tries to defend himself, wishing that he could take those words back after seeing her reaction.

"No, you were right before" she mumbles, "I was deprived". She lets out a deep sigh before continuing, "My mother ..she never let me leave the house. It was way worse than it sounds. I was a prisoner in my own home. I didn't get to see the world"

"But…why?" Pascal asks, his voice dripping with confusion.

"She thought she was protecting me. She said the world is a dark and cruel place. There's so much more that she never told me though, there is light in the world" Rapunzel sighs, shifting her gaze to the ground.

"She let you out though? I mean you're here now"

"Well, no. I escaped. You see though she homeschooled me, she left out some important lessons. She ripped out all the pages in my text books that would go against her views of the world being a bad place or that would make me feel as if I had a purpose outside of that house. One day, I found those pages. I was so confused. There may have been wars in history but there were also revolutions and peace and triumph that I had never learnt about. I learnt that babies didn't come from storks and that I would need to leave my house find a man to make one with. I felt so betrayed, so lost, so curious as to what else was in the world that I didn't know of. So then, on my 18th birthday, I escaped. I ran away because legally she couldn't force me to come back, I was an adult and I wanted to start living like one" Rapunzel says very quickly. No one at school knew of her past and she wasn't sure before if she even wanted anyone to know. Right now though, telling Pascal felt right.

"Where did you go? Where did you stay?" Pascal gasps

"I had no idea where to go at first, I just wandered around and then I started to get hungry. I found this place called the Snuggly Duckling and it had a food like stench coming from it so I went in. Turns out it was a bar and it was filled with thugs. They were really nice though and when I explained my story to them they let me live there, in the back room. One day I was sitting at a table drawing and this one thug, Hookhand, saw my drawing and he said I was talented and should be an artist. He told me that I could go to school and learn all about drawing and painting and I couldn't have been more excited! Art was my dream, art is my dream! All the thugs helped me apply to every art school in the area, and now here I am" Rapunzel smiles a little. Pascal gets up from his stool and tightly wraps his arms around her in a hug.

"Umm thanks Pascal" Rapunzel giggles. She feels a wave of relief, like a weight has been lifted from her

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that. You're my friend. You can tell me anything okay?" Pascal gives her a little squeeze

"And you can tell me anything!" Rapunzel smiles, "say, Pascal. I've never had a best friend before. Do you want to be mine?"

"Of course I do!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tangled or any of it's characters**

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><p>"You can't make me go in!" Pascal exclaims, digging his heels into the floor.<p>

"I can't let you fail. Also, if I have to draw a naked guy, then so do you" Rapunzel groans. She places both her hands on Pascal's back and pushes him into the classroom. Though they were early for the class the week before, this week they arrive to an already full classroom. Every female in the class is gathered in the corner, surrounding Flynn as he smirks and chats to them.

"Just look at him. Look at those girls fawning over him! Rapunzel, I am so thankful that you're not one of his fangirls. I should have all those fangirls! I mean, what's so great about him? What does he have that I don't have?" Pascal groans.

"He does have nice hair" Rapunzel shrugs. Pascal shoots her an unimpressed look.

"Oh, well your hair is beautiful too Pascal. I didn't mean that he has nice hair and you don't" Rapunzel blushes.

"It's okay, I'll forgive you for that slip this one time" Pascal laughs.

"Class, please take your seats. I would like you to welcome back Mr. Rider. This sketch will be submitted for marks so make it good" Mrs. Rogers announces as Flynn starts to take his place in the middle of the classroom. At the sight of Rapunzel he mouths "hey", raising his right eyebrow slightly.

"What was that?" Pascal whispers to Rapunzel

"Umm, he was probably just being polite. I mean he greeted all the other girls in the class so he probably wanted to say hello to me too" Rapunzel blushes.

She felt like there was something wrong with her, that she shouldn't be blushing like this before he was even naked. As soon as he starts to untie his robe Rapunzel closes her eyes, taking slow breaths in through her nose and out her mouth. When she slowly peeks her eyes open her gaze goes straight to his face. She just stares at it, partially because she's not ready to move her gaze down his body, partially because she's intrigued by it. She feels like if she stared long enough at it then he would become transparent and she could see his thoughts, his story, who he is. She was sure that there was more to this guy then the fact that he enjoyed being naked in a room full of strangers. Her thoughts are interrupted when his gaze slightly meets hers and he gives her a small, crooked smile. She looks down to her paper to try and hide the red blush that is forming on her face. She didn't scream this time, but she thought that maybe all of her blood rushing to her face was more embarrassing.

While all the other females in the class saw Flynn as a piece of meat to drool over, Rapunzel saw a person. Her pencil starts to work busily as she draws and tries to discover this person in front of her. As she sketches his goatee she wonders why it's there. Maybe he wants to look a little older, maybe he has a girlfriend who likes how it tickles her face when he kisses her cheek. Other things spark her attention as she continues, like a small scar on his right side above his stomach. She wonders if the scar is from a surgery or perhaps from too much rough housing during a game of football. Before long the class is over. Though she rushed out of the class the last time, this time she sits back and tries to touch up her picture, adding more lines and detail to her drawing, her story of Flynn. She looks up to see everyone gone except for Mrs Rogers and Pascal who is waiting at the doorway for her. Just as she is about to place her drawing on the hand in pile Flynn comes strutting back into the room, now fully clothed. He starts to flip through the pictures, not taking much time to really look at them

"no,no,no,no, this is bad, this is bad , this is really really bad…they just can't get my nose right" Flynn groans, "Let me see your's", his eyes shifting to look at Rapunzel

"oh,It's not very good" Rapnzel cringes a bit.

"Just let me see it" he holds out his hand.

"Fine" she sighs, handing him the drawing. The whole time he is examining it she holds her breath. She wanted him to like it, after all it was a picture of him. What if he would be offended by it?

"Well, I've got to say, you have a lot of talent. You even got my nose right. Great job" he smiles.

"re..really?" she stutters in shock, "Thank you!"

"Don't thank me for merely telling the truth"

"Oh, thanks. Wait, you said not to have thank you. Umm just forget what I said then" Rapunzel rambles.

"I guess I should let you get on your way. Your boyfriend looks angry" Flynn points to Pascal who's standing at the doorway with his arms crossed.

"Boyfriend? No, I don't have a boyfriend. That's just Pascal. He's my best friend" Rapunzel smiles.

"Ah, friend with benefits huh?" Flynn smirks.

"Well ya I guess. Our friendship is very beneficial, he helps me with homework and stuff" Rapunzel shrugs.

"That's not what I meant by friends with benefits" Flynn laughs.

"Oh well, Pascal and I share our lunches sometimes. Is that the kind of benefit you meant?"

"No, I meant that you and Pascal are screwing each other" Flynn smirks at her,

"screwing?" Rapunzel scrunches up her face in confusion

"You and Pascal are having sex" Flynn says bluntly

"no we are not! That is not what best friends do" Rapunzel gasps, "Is that what you do with your friends?" she asks, slightly appalled, "Actually, forget that. I don't want to know" Rapunzel looks over to Pascal who is just standing there with his mouth open, not even sure what to say.

"Well, it was nice talking to you again Rapunzel. I've got to say that I am impressed with you, you didn't scream this time. Lucky for you, the assignment is done and you don't have to see me again. Perhaps though, you're unlucky because your lack of screaming may mean you're succumbing to my charms" Flynn winks at her.

"ah..umm..bye Flynn. Nice seeing you too" Rapunzel blushes and turns away, quickly walking back to Pascal and then out of the room.

"Pascal…umm you don't want us to be friends with benefits..do you?" Rapunzel quietly whispers as they walk down the hall.

"No, don't worry. I just want to be friends with the lunch sharing and homework helping type of benefits" Pascal nods.

"Oh good" Rapunzel sighs in relief.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled or it's characters. I am in no way affiliated with Disney either**

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><p>"Ooh, are you doing crafts? Can I help?" Rapunzel asks upon entering her dorm room. Her roommate is surrounded by a pile of newspapers.<p>

"No crafts, I'm job hunting . I am sick of having an empty wallet" dana groans as she highlights an ad.

"Oh, well maybe I can still help! I mean, I've never had a job before but I could maybe still help" Rapunzel lays down on her stomach on the floor and grabs a newspaper, "maybe I'll get a job too. What would I be good at?"

"I can see you as a waitress! You're just so cheery and you'd get a lot of tips for being so adorable" Dana giggles.

"oh, being a waitress sounds nice. I do really like food!" Rapunzel smiles.

"Where can you see me working?" Dana looks at her with wide eyes.

"A movie theater! You just look like someone who would work there" Rapunzel exclaims.

"Hmm, I like your thinking Punz. Then I can watch movies for free!" Dana laughs. Rapunzel laughs in return and starts to stare more intently at the newspaper in front of her. One ad sticks out to her, an ad looking for a waitress at a café about a block from the school. The idea of a café just seemed so romantic almost. A place where people would recite poetry and discuss books and nibble on croissants. A place where a modern day Prince Charming may hang out. The rest of the night she spends writing her resume, hoping that what she lacks in work experience she makes up for in enthusiasm. To her delight she gets a call for an interview and actually gets the job. On the morning of her first day she wakes up at the crack of dawn to get ready. She picks out a long pink skirt with a matching top that she had sewn herself and braids her hair into one long braid. She takes a deep breath before she pushes open the door to the café for her first day.

"Hi, I'm Rpaunzel! It's my first day of work here!" She smiles excitedly at the girl behind the counter.

"Hey, new girl. Put this on" the girl says in a monotone voice as she hands Rapunzel a black apron. Rapunzel pouts a little at the fact that her perfect outfit would be covered by an apron, but rules are rules.

"This is a coffee machine. Here are the baked goods. This is the cash register. You take people's orders, give them food, then collect money" the girl says in the same monotone voice, "It's pretty idiot proof". She walks over to a booth in the corner and starts making out with her boyfriend. So Rapunzel was essentially on her own already, but she was sure she could do this. How hard could serving coffee would be. It wasn't really that hard, up until it got a little busy.

"Excuse me, do you even know how to do math? You gave me the wrong change, it's a dollar short" a short middle aged man waltzes up to the counter and slams his bill on the counter.

"Hey, lay off her okay? How about you tell me where you work and I'll yell at you when you make a mistake at your job?" Rapunzel hears a familiar voice say and she looks up to see Flynn standing in front of her.

"Sorry, sir. I really am" Rapunzel says quietly as she hands him the dollar and he walks out. She wanted so badly to be good at this job , but now she feels like she's failed.

"Thanks Flynn. He was right though, I suck at this job. I'll never get it right" Rapunzel sighs, burying her face in her hands.

"Don't say that. Shit happens" Flynn shrugs

"Thanks…again" Rapunzel smiles, "So, what brings you here?"

"Well gorgeous, as hard as it is to believe I didn't come here to see I didn't even know you were here..so ya. What brings me here though is coffee"

"Ooh, I can help with that! What do you want in your coffee?" Rapunzel's smile grows

"just black, sweetie" Flynn nods

"Do you actually want black coffee or are you just ordering it because you know I can't possibly mess up black coffee?" Rapunzel puts her hands on her hips.

"I always order it black. That's how real men drink it. Plus I need it strong to wake me up"

"Early morning?" Rapunzel asks as she pours his coffee.

"Yup, I had to be up at ten this morning" Flynn pouts

"Ten? I am up and dressed and starting my day at seven!" Rapunzel laughs

"You're crazy! I bet your roommate enjoys your sleeplessness" Flynn says sarcastically

"Dana sleeps like a rock, she doesn't even notice" Rapunzel giggles. She takes a moment to actually assess the situation. She was carrying on a conversation with Flynn, the guy that she had screamed at the sight of and dreaded seeing , and she was enjoying it. She walks away from the counter to hand the bill to anther table and when she returns she finds a scribbled note on a napkin reading "Here's a tip, call me. 953-827-7241." She's confused, what did this note even mean. Well, she gathered that it meant he wanted her to call him, but why? That question plagues her for the rest of her shift. That white napkin felt like it would burn a hole in her pocket.

"Dana! Good you're here! I have a question and it may sound stupid. What does it mean when a guy gives you his number?" Rapunzel says very quickly when she enters her dorm.

"well Punz, ultimately it means he wants you to call him. The real question though is, who's this guy? And most importantly is he hot?"

"It's Flynn. I gathered that he wanted me to call him but why would he want me to call him?"

"Flynn? Girl, get on that phone right now! I knew he had a thing for you" Dana squeals.

"A thing? Why would he have a thing for me? No, I don't think he does. Why would he?" Rapunzel bites her lip.

"He must think you're a little hottie" Dana smirks, "That's my view on the issue, I'm not a guy though so I don't know for sure"

"I should ask a guy then! I know, I'll ask Pascal!" she eagerly runs out of the room and to his room. She known knocks loudly on the door and rocks back and forth on her heels until a yawning Pascal with tousled hair answers the door.

"Did I wake you?" she giggles

"I may have fallen asleep on my art history book...maybe" he blushes

"Anyway, I came here to ask what this means, Flynn gave it to me at work today" she holds out the napkin, "see, I thought it meant that he wants to be my friend but Dana thinks that he thinks that I'm a hottie"

"Well, if I gave a girl my number and asked her to call me it would probably be because I thought she was a hottie" Pascal shrugs

"So you think he really likes me too?"

"What's not to like about you? Do I like Flynn? No. Do I think he has a crush on you? Yes. I mean, he was flirting with you in class that day. At the end of the day what determines what you do with that number is how you feel about him" Pascal shifts his gaze from Rapunzel to his feet.

"I don't know though. I have no idea how I feel about him. I mean, I don't detest him, but it's not love at first sight" Rapunzel sighs in frustration

"My opinion is, figure out how you feel abut him then let him sweat it out. Don't call him tonight. Wait until at least tomorrow" Pascal grins.

"Thanks Pascal. I think I'll make a chart and weigh the positives and negatives" Rapunzel sighs as she gives Pascal a hug and she slowly walks back to her room. When her chart is done, one of the two sections has an extra point than the other and she decides to go with that option.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled or it's characters and in no way am I affiliated with Disney**

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><p>Flynn walks away from the cafe feeling very satisfied with himself. In a few hours Rapunzel will be off work and then she'll call and Rapunzel with swoon over him and then they'll meet up someplace. The difference between this meeting up and the kind of meeting up he normally did with girls is that this wasn't going to end in one of their beds, he was sure of this. He knows Rapunzel is not the type to put out on a first date, if this would even be called a date, but he was okay with that. Sure, if she wants sex then he wouldn't turn her down though. What he really wants is to get inside that pretty head of her's, get to know her. To him she seems like a puzzle. He doesn't totally know who she is yet but he can't wait to put together the pieces and find out.<p>

Upon arrival at his tiny apartment Flynn kicks off his boots and puts his feet up on his wobbly coffee table, clicking the television on to watch the news. He doesn't particularily like watching the news, but it was something to occupy him and it was either that or a Snuggie infomercial. Perhaps he should have chosen the infomercial because the news puts him to sleep. A few hours he awakes, not remembering how he even fell asleep. Immediately he grabs his phone off the coffee table. No missed calls or messages. Surely Rapunnzel is off work by now. The time ticks by and his phone does not make a sound. Perhaps he wrote downs the wrong number, perhaps Rapunzel can't read his scribbled writing. Whatever the reason Rapunzel doesn't call him that night. However, the next morning his peaceful sleep is is cut short due to the ringing of his phone. Still half asleep he grabs his phone and groans a simple tired "hello"

"Oh, hey Flynn. It's Rapunzel. Did I wake you? I'm so sorry" She says quickly.

"Oh hey Rapunzel. No, no it's fine" Flynn sits right up in bed, suddenly fully awake.

"Okay, good" Rapunzel giggles, "So, how are you today?"

"Well, I'm not much of anything right now as I literally just woke up" Flynn chuckles, "But, I must say that I am having a great start to my day. How are you?"

"I am magnificent! I got my assignent back, the sketch I did of you and I got an A on it!" Rapunzel squeals happily.

"I knew it! what did I tell you?" Flynn says excitedly.

"Thank you" Rapunzel starts to blush. She's happy that this is a phone conversation so her reddening face cannot be seen.

"So what are you going to do with the picture now? I bet you'll hang it up in your room so you can gaze at it. More specifically, I bet you'll put it on the ceiling so you can lay in bed and see it" Flynn laughs, a smirk creeping onto his face.

"no, no i would not!" Rapunzel says firmly, despite her blush that is worsening, "I will not post pictures of naked men on my walls!"

"calm down. I was joking. I know you aren't that type" Flynn laughs

"Oh sorry then" Rapunzel says shyly, "Umm can I ask you something?"

"well you just did ask me something, feel free to ask me something else too though"

"umm okay then, why did do you leave me your number?" Rapunzel says quietly, nervous for the response.

"I wanted you to call me"

"well I had gathered that much, but why?" Rapunzel says, almost whining

"I wanted to talk to you, I like talking to you and I thought maybe we could hang out sometime" Flynn nervously rubs his neck. Why was he nervous? He was Flynn Rider, women didn't say no to him. He had this in the bag.

"Oh, I'd love to hangout sometime" Rapunzel says eagerly, "I was worried because Pascal and Dana told me that you probably liked me, like really liked me and thought I was a hottie. Im glad that's not the case"

"Why would that be the case? What are those two thinking?" Flynn laughs nervously. The truth is Pascal and Dana are right. As much as he doesnt want to admit it, he has a crush on Rapunzel. Flynn Rider has a crush, this is almost unheard of.

"I know right? I mean a relationship between us would never work. You're older than me by, well I don't know exactly how much, but at least a few years" Rapunzel laughs

"Ya, it would never work. We'll just be friends"

"And not the type with benefits either" Rapunzel says with the confidence.

"Right" He draws out the word in disappointment, though he hopes Rapunzel can't notice the disappointment. Ideally, he wanted a friends with benefits situation. That way he could get his fix of talking to her and getting to know her and just being around her, but got the sex and the freedom of being single too.

"Great! Anyway, art history class requires my attendance in 15 minutes so I have to get going. It was great talking to you and I can't wait to hangout." Rapunzel says happily with a little giggle at the end.

"it was great talking to you too blondie. You free tommorow? for our hangout?" Flynn asks.

"Well, I work in the morning but only til 2. We can hang out after that" Rapunzel suggests

"Sounds perfect. I'll meet you there after work. Bye Blondie"

"Bye Flynn" Rapunzel replies shyly

As Flynn hangs up the phone he sighs. The conversation didn't go exactly as planned but that doesn't mean that he won't get what he wants in some way. Rapunzel was going to be a challenge and Flynn Rider never backed down from a challenge.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: For those wondering, yes Dana is an OC. I needed someone as a room mate for Rapunzel so I had to make up a character. <strong>

**Sorry this chapter probably sucks and took so long but school had been keeping me busy**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer; I do not own Tangled or it's characters and I am in no way affiliated with Disney**

***note* **I apologize for any spelling mistakes. I typed this in wordpad cause MS word was not being too nice to me and would not open

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><p>That day at work Rapunzel swears that the clock ticks slower. Normally her shifts go by quickly but today it just seems to drag on. The cafe was busy and as much as she liked work she is too excited to hang out with Flynn to focus on her job. Rapunzel always got just as excited when she had plans to hang out with Pascal but she actually feels a little nervous to hang out with Flynn. Perhaps it's because they still don't know that much about one another. Perhaps it's because unlike Pascal, maybe Rapunzel does have other feelings for Flynn, maybe there's a bit of a crush. She pushes the latter option out of her head though. The moment her shift ends Rapunzel rushes to the bathroom to fix her hair, re-branding her messy braid and then unbraiding it again because she decides that she likes it better down. She walks out of the bathroom and there Flynn is, standing in the doorway leisurely whistling.<p>

"Hi, Flynn" Rapunzel approaches him excitedly.

"Hey Blondie. I thought you'd left without me. I didn't see you" Flynn smirks.

"Oh, I was just fixing my hair in the bathroom. I wouldn't leave without you. I've been looking forward to our hangout all day. Where are we going?" Rapunzel asks eagerly.

"Well, where do you want to go?" Flynn asks. Honestly, he couldn't decide on anywhere to go.

"Can we go to the park? I want to feed the squirrels some of my leftover muffin from lunch" Rapunzel smiles.

"Sure, I'm sure the squirrels will appreciate your choice of location" Flynn places Ashland on her back and starts to guide her out of the cafe. A shiver is sent up Rapunzel's back at his soft touch. Even as they walk down the street he keeps his hand on her back. Rapunzel didn't know how she felt about that. It feels sort of weird but at the same time she likes it and can't bring herself to ask him to move it. Once they get to the park though Rapunzel kicks off her shoes and runs into the grass, excitedly feeling the grass tickle her feet.

"Come on Flynn, you slowpoke. The squirrels are waiting" she calls to him as she runs towards one of the trees. Flynn picks up her discarded shoes and rolls his eyes as he follows her. By the time he's caught up to Rapunzel she's sitting in the grass with squirrels and birds literally gathered around her. This honestly does not surprise Flynn in the least bit. As he sits down beside her the animals scatter.

"Oops, clearly I'm not a hit with woodland creatures like you are" he lets out a soft chuckle.

"They'll come back, here. Take some muffin" Rapunzel hands him some bits of banana muffin, "They'll like you if you have food"

"I dunno Blondie, I'm not the animal type"

"Just do it! They'll like you, you'll see" She grins at him. For her, he'll try it. Flynn holds out his hand with the muffin in it and surely enough some of the birds actually start to come and eat out of his hand, grabbing a crumb and hopping off to eat it.

"I told you! It's so cute seeing you feed animals. This is fun" Rapunzel giggles as a squirrel takes some muffin from her hand. Flynn raises an eyebrow at being called cute, that was a new way to be described. No one had called him cute probably since he was about seven years old. From Rapunzel though he does not min being called cute.

"ya, surprisingly nourishing woodland creatures is not as boring as one would think" though Flynn is pretty sure it would be boring if Rapunzel was not there.

Suddenly, the clouds that are coving the sky causes it to ran quite heavily.

"I guess this is our cue to get the hell inside" Flynn grabs her hand

"No, we can't waste a perfect opportunity like this" Rapunzel giggles.

"Perfect opportunity for what?" Flynn raises an eyebrow in confusion.

"Dancing in the rain" Rapunzel grabs both of Flynn's hands and pulls him into the middle of the park, spinning him around with her.

"But Blondie, there's no music and I'm not the dancing type"

"That's the good part. It means we can dance to whatever beat we want to" Rapunzel giggles, letting go of his hands and doing a twirl. She get's dizzy and stumbles backwards into Flynn's arms.

"Are you drunk?" Flynn laughs, holding her in his arms for a second before letting her go.

"No, I'm just not a very good dancer" Rapunzel blushes, "I've always wanted to take lessons"

"You're a great dancer" Flynn smiles, taking her hand and twirling her around. If it were with anyone else he would be less than impressed to dance in the rain. The big smile on her face, the way her hair just seemed to float in the air as she spun around, the way the rain caused her clothes to cling tighter to her tiny body and the fact that they were holding hands.

"Thank you" she blushes as the rain starts to pour down harder.

"Come on, we better get you somewhere dry, don't want you catching a cold" He smiles as he rushes a strand of wet hair off her face. Hand in hand they run back to Flynn's apartment, Rapunzel laughing the whole way. His apartment was less than a block away from the park anyway so he just figured that running there would beat hanging out in the thrift store across the street.

"ooh, I like your place" Rapunzel smiles as they enter his apartment.

"Pff, this place? really? it's a dump" Flynn laughs.

"No, I like it. It's small but looks like a home. So many houses look very nice but are so perm and proper that i looks like no one lives there. It looks like you live here" Rapunzel nods.

"I guess that's true" Flynn shrugs as he ducks into the bathroom to get some towels.

"Here ya go" Flynn throws a towel to Rapunzel and it hits her in he face.

"Ow" Rapunzel tries to act offended but she ends up just giggling. She rubs the towel against her head. making her hair stand up a bit.

"Nice hair Blondie" Flynn laughs.

"Oh ya?" Rapunzel smirks. She walks towards him, towel in hand and she messes his hair, "I just thought you'd want some help drying off and now we match" Rapunzel giggles.

"Very funny Blondie" he smirks, "Though I bet I still look absolutely dashing"

"Sure, of course you do" Rapunzel blushes. It was true. Flynn looked very handsome regardless of if his hair was messy or perfectly combed. To that compliment and her adorable blushing Flynn can do nothing but stare at her, look into those huge green eyes. After about fifteen seconds of the staring he shakes out of his trance.

"Umm,I guess I should get you some dry clothes." he shrugs, escaping into his bedroom to not only rummage through his closet to find the smallest clothes possible for her to wear but also to clear his mind from the touchy feely feelings. Rapunzel knew that she should just stay in the doorway and wait for Flynn but her natural curiosity gets the best of her and she ventures into his living room. There wasn't much to look at i there but something catches her eye, a shiny gold locket. She picks it up and places it in her palm, looking it over.

"Umm so I found you a sweater that is probably big enough to be a dress on you and I found some pj pants that you may be able to pull the strings really tight on so they'll fit you" Flynn walks out of his bedroom to greet Rapunzel i the living room.

"Flynn, is this a present for your girlfriend? It's so pretty" Rapunzel holds the necklace up to the light. Flynn freezes, eyes opening wide. That necklace she was holding wasn't a gift that he bought for anyone, it was something he stole so that he could sell it.

"Umm, no. I don't have a girlfriend" he says, placing the clothes down on the coffee table.

"Oh, is it for your mom then? Your sister?"

"No" he sighs, "It's not for anyone"

"Oh, then why did you buy it? I don't think gold lockets really suit you" Rapunzel giggles.

"I didn't buy it, I stole it" he sighs flopping down on the couch. He couldn't believe he was about to do this, but Flynn Rider was about to share some back story.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled or it's characters and I am in no way affiliated with Disney**

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><p>"You stole it? but why? From who?" Rapunzel asks, furrowing her brow in thought .<p>

"Just please go change your clothes. I don't want you to catch a chill" Flynn tries to delay the conversation as much as possible. Now Rapunzel felt terrible. She shouldn't have been snooping around, she shouldn't have started asking questions. She tries to just focus on something else, on these clothes of his perhaps. They were really big on her. The pant legs and sleeves extended quite a ways beyond her limbs and the sweater was pretty much a dress on her . Rapunzel never thought her clothes had a smell but Flynn's did, they smelt like him. She walks out of the bathroom holing up the pants legs so she doesn't trip as she makes her way to the couch to sit beside Flynn. Seeing Rapunzel in his clothes was something he really enjoyed. She looked absolutely adorable but also kind of sexy. Flynn didn't quite understand how she was both adorable and sexy at the same time but he wasn't really one that was very skilled in understanding women anyway.

"I'm sorry Flynn" Rapunzel sighs as she sits down beside him, "I shouldn't have been so nosy . Just forget what I said before. I don't need to know about your things and where and how you got them"

"No, it's okay. It's not like you'd never find out somehow anyway. To answer your earlier questions I stole it because that's how I make most of my money. I steal things and then I sell them. I stole that necklace from a girl I met in a bar one night. We had a few drinks and then went to her place and had a little roll around in the sheets. After that I snagged the locket when she wasn't looking and I said that I had to get going" he says, focusing on the wall across the room instead of looking at Rapunzel's face. He was so nervous. He's pretty sure that this would be the end of their friendship. Rapunzel seems like such a straight arrow that would never even jaywalk because it's illegal. Getting caught stealing by a police officer is actually less nerve racking for him than this situation.

"But you have a job, You're a model. I imagine you would get a lot of gigs because you are handsome after all" Rapunzel shrugs.

"Despite my handsome looks there isn't a huge demand for male models here in Corona" Flynn smirks at her compliment. He had heard many compliments on his looks from other women but it felt even better coming from Rapunzel.

"Well then, just get another job. You should work at a clothing store. That would be sort of ironic if you were selling clothes at one job and being naked at the other " Rapunzel giggles.

"I wish I could get another job but most places don't want to hire you if you have a criminal record for stealing. They just assume you're there to rob the cash register" Flynn shrugs

"Why did you start stealing though? Why didn't you get a normal job from the start?" Rapunzel bites her lip, hoping she's not getting to nosey.

"Well, when you're told that you're never going to amount to anything in life you start to believe it after hearing that for so long. I thought I couldn't be much better than being a thief" he sighs. This wasn't something that Flynn really told anyone. Normally Flynn is confident and cocky but really that is just a cover up for his insecurities ,for the fact that deep down he doesn't like himself.

"Oh, that's so sad to hear. I don't think that about you. I mean I don't know lot about you but you're capable of great things" Rapunzel smiles softly towards him.

"Thanks Blondie" he returns the smile, "I'm surprised you're not disgusted by me. Some people are"

"No, I'm not disgusted at all, we all have things we're ashamed of. We all make mistakes" Rapunzel softly touches hi arm then pulls away.

"What if I help you find a job? I know….what if I gave you a job?" Rapunzel perks her head up, excited that she has an idea.

"And what is it that I would be doing at this job you'd be giving me?"

"Modeling. I need someone to draw to help me practice and build my portfolio. I'll pay you good" Rapunzel says shyly.

"Blondie, I'm not going to take your money and you don't need to help me find a job either . I'll manage just fine thanks."

"We're friends right? Friends help friends so I am going to help you. Please let me do this"

"I just knew that deep down you couldn't get enough of my sexy body" Flynn winks.

"You'll be wearing clothes though, at least pants" Rapunzel says quickly

"Whatever you say" he rolls his eyes.

"I'll find you a couple of other potential jobs and you can pick your favourite. Do you want to work at a movie theatre so you can get free popcorn? Or maybe you could be a dog walker? A waiter?"

"Surprise me?" Flynn bites his lip.

"Perfect, I love surprises" Rapunzel claps her hands.

"So, how should I repay you for this generous act?" Flynn smirks

"You don't need to repay me. You're my friend. Friends help friends"

"Come on Rapunzel, let me o something for you"

"Fine, you can walk me home then because as fun as this is I have a project that I need to get started on. Sometimes I get scared that ruffians and thugs will get me as I'm walking so I think you being there to protect me would be good"

"ruffians and thugs?" Flynn laughs

"yes, they're everywhere and they're dangerous!"

"Well have no fear, I'll protect you" Flynn winks. Rapunzel's cheeks turn a light shade of pink. She just thought it was so noble and brave of him to protect her from ruffians and thugs.

"I guess I better go change back into my own clothes" Rapunzel shrugs, getting up off of the couch.

"No, they're probably still wet. Just wear my clothes home " Flynn likes the idea of her being in his clothes a little too much to make her change.

"Oh thank you, your clothes are so cozy anyway" Rapunzel giggles, grabbing his arm and pulling him off the couch, "It's stopped raining, come on lets go!"

"Oh, I see how it is, you're excited to get rid of me" Flynn smirks.

"Oh no, not at all. I'm so sorry that I made you think that. I like being with you, I do" Rapunzel says softly taking his hand and looking up at him with wide eyes. That look, her sweet and soft voice, how she liked being with him, the way she didn't storm out in disgust when she heard he was a thief, all of these things light a fire in him that makes him want to kiss her. He can't though, he told her they were just going to be friends. She clearly said she wanted nothing more than a friendship. He sighs and lets go of her hand, not wanting to tempt himself further as he motions for her to follow him out the door.

During the walk to her dorm the two of them remain silent. Rapunzel silently takes in the sights of the streets while Flynn takes in the sight of her. Rapunzel doesn't care that people are staring as she walks down the street in oversized pajamas ad Flynn loves that about her. Their silence continues until they reach Rapunzel's floor.

"Oh look, it's Max. Lets go say hi. I can introduce you guys" Rapunzel say happily as she spots Maximus patrolling the hallway.

"Hold it Blondie" Flynn grabs her shoulder and pulls her back, "he doesn't like me. I'm not a huge fan of him, it's best if I avoid him basically"

"Oh, well why? I like Max, he's a sweetie" Rapunzel places a finger to her chin in thought.

"That's a story for another day" Flynn shrugs, "it's kinda long"

"Oh, okay. Well I guess we'll part ways now..thanks for…." Rapunzel starts to say but it cut off by Flynn.

"no, my mission was to get you home and you're not at your door yet" Flynn says, grabbing her arm and slowly creeping down the hall with her. When they see Max turn o head down another hallway they make a run for it to her door.

"Thank you for today, it was so fun! We should hangout again soon. Bye" Rapunzel says quickly as she wraps her arms around him in a hug, "Now run away fast!" She closes her door before Flynn can say a final thank you. A thank you for a great day, a thank you for being supportive and a thank you for actually inspiring him to change his ways.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer****: I am in no way affiliated with Disney and I do not own Tangled or it's characters**

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><p>"Well, well , well. What do we have here? Rocking the 'Morning After Chic' look, I see" Dana smirks at the sight of Rapunzel when she enters her dorm<p>

"What?" Rapunzel asks, confused.

"You go on a date with Flynn, you're gone a few hours and you return in his clothes. You slept with him didn't you?"

"Dana, silly girl. Why would I agree to hangout with someone only to just go to sleep with them" Rapunzel giggles, then she realizes what her friend actually meant and she gasps, "No! No, we didn't do that. We didn't have…sex" she whispers the last word, her eyes wide.

"Okay, I believe you but why are you in his clothes?" Dana smirks.

"We got caught in the rain so we ran to his place and he gave me dry clothes to wear. Though I feel bad now. When I first saw him and he was all naked, I think that maybe I judged him a bit. He is such a gentleman though, I mean he returned my sketchbook and he gave me dry clothes today" Rapunzel frowns.

"Don't sweat it, we're humans. We judge, it's what we do and I'm fairly certain that there's an evolutionary basis to this judgmental behaviour" Dana shrugs, "I think he likes you though, I really do"

"He's just a friend, he didn't even try to kiss me. If he liked me then he'd try to kiss me" Rapunzel says matter of factly

"That's not necessarily true. He could be shy" Dana shrugs

"Please, Flynn is not shy. You didn't see him flirting with all the girls in my art class. He doesn't flirt that way with me so he really mustn't like me that much" Rapunzel nods.

"Whatever you say. Anyway, speaking sort of about guys and dates, which are related to dances. Are you going to the dance next month?" Dana asks.

"Dance? I haven't heard of any dance. I would like to go but I have no date. Going to a dance dateless doesn't sound like too much fun" Rapunzel sighs.

"I'll find you a date. I'm quite the matchmaker. I just know that you'll hit it off at the dance and then, after we're going skiing for reading week and the two of you can go and fall even deeper in love" Dana smiles

"That sounds like such a fairytale. Okay, find me a date! I'll have to give you something in exchange for this good deed though What would you like?" Rapunzel asks, clasping her hands together.

"Well, I brought up the topic because I wanted to ask you if you would design my dress for me. You don't have to do it but I love your clothes and I can't believe you make the yourself"

"Sure! I'll design and sew dresses for both of us! Just tell me what you like and what colour you want it to be and I'll get to work" Rapunzel says excitedly.

"You're the best! Thank you, thank you" Dana hugs Rapunzel

**Meanwhile**

"Well, well, well. Flynn Rider. What do we have here?" Max grabs Flynn's shoulder as he's leisurely walking down the hall.

"Max, long time no see. Not long enough though" Flynn tries to keep walking forward but Max's strong hand is holding him back.

"what are you doing here?"

"Look I know you want to get me arrested but my reasons for being here are completely legal" Flynn smirks.

"Now why don't I believe that?" Max crosses his arms over his chest before he grabs Flynn's arm and starts to pull him down the hall, hurrying up his exit.

"Easy there buddy. Perhaps you just can't see the good in people. You should work on that." Flynn smirks, "Actually, I was doing a good deed, walking a damsel home so she wouldn't get attacked by ruffians and thugs"

"Walking her home better have been all you were doing with her." Max glares at him

"Calm down, why does everyone just assume that me being within 5 feet of a woman means that I've slept with her?. Though we did more than just walking. Her and I also fed squirrels, scandalous huh?"

"I have no idea, maybe because you're known to only be interested in women for one night stands" Max rolls his eyes, "Wait, you fed squirrels, it was Rapunzel wasn't it?" Max stops right where he is.

"It's not your business" Flynn scoffs

"She's the only girl I've seen here that feeds squirrels"

"Okay, fine it's her but nothing is going on between us. She is no doubt a virgin and typically I don't tangle with those, they get clingy" Flynn scrunches up his nose

"Don't you dare hurt her though, I'm warning you. Now get out of here" Max gives Flynn a small push before he turns and walks away.

There was something about Rapunzel that made Max very protective of her. He couldn't put his finger on why, but he just felt the need to be sort of an older brother to her. Rapunzel would always stop in the hall to give him a hug if they passed and she frequently would leave apples outside his door with little notes saying 'From Rapunzel'. She was like that with everyone it seemed, stopping to give hugs or bringing someone soup if she heard they were sick. Flynn was one of the last people that he wanted her to be around. She was such a kind and innocent girl that he feared guys like Flynn would easily take advantage of her and her kindness. The two guys met when Max was doing an internship at the police station with his father when Flynn started to first get in trouble with the law for stealing back in high school. Max just never thought that Flynn really paid the price for his crimes. Flynn's a very smart thief and barely ever left any evidence, if he did leave evidence it wasn't solid enough evidence to use in court.

Maybe Flynn had turned over a new leaf, somehow though Max doubts that.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled or it's characters and I am in no way affiliated with Disney**

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><p>"Hi, you've reached Flynn. Either I'm busy, I didn't hear my phone or I'm ignoring you. Leave me a message and I'll consider calling you back" Rapunzel hears Flynn's answering machine say.<p>

"Umm. Hi Flynn, it's Rapunzel. How are you?" she asks, pausing for an answer before giggling. "Oh right, this is an answering machine. Anyway, I was just calling to ask if you wanted to come by tomorrow to model for me. If you don't that's okay, but let me know please? Oh and I also found you.." She starts to say before the answering machine cuts her off so she calls back to get the answering machine again.

"Silly answering machine cut me off. So as I was trying to say earlier, I found you some potential jobs. We can discuss them when..I mean if you stop by tomorrow. I hope you had a good day…or are having a good day. Anyway..bye I guess" she sighs before hanging up, hoping that she didn't fall into the 'being ignored' category of Flynn's message. About an hour later she gets a text message back.

**New Message from Flynn:** Hey Blondie, sorry I didn't answer. You'll be happy to hear that I was making some money modeling…not stealing. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks again

Rapunzel almost squealed at the message. Flynn agreed to meet with her tomorrow and he wasn't thieving, well at least he wasn't when she called.

"Pascal, I have great news!"Rapunzel exclaims, running into his dorm room and flopping onto the bed that he is sitting on.

"What news do you bring?" Pascal blinks.

"I found us a model" Rapunzel claps her hands excitedly, "He'll be by tomorrow for us to sketch him"

"Him? You couldn't get us a girl model" Pascal asks.

"Sorry. You can pick the model next time. It's just that Flynn needed a job and I know he's experienced being a model so I hired him" Rapunzel shrugs.

"Flynn? You hired Flynn? Please tell me that you met another Flynn and this is not the same one that was previously naked in front of me…twice" Pascal asks with wide eyes.

"Again, sorry. But he will wear clothes this time, I promise!"

"I guess it's alright" Pascal shrugs, "As long as he's clothed I think I'll be alright"

"Oh good. I would never want you to be mad at me" Rapunzel says shyly . Pascal just looks over to her and smiles, he really can't see himself ever being mad at Rapunzel.

"Whatcha watchin'?" Rapunzel asks as she caching glimpse of the glowing television across the room.

"It's Corona's Next Top Model. Before you call it a girl's show I'll have you know that I watch it because I enjoy photography and I love the beautiful women " Pascal smirks.

"Okay Pascal, it's not girly" Rapunzel giggles. Rapunzel looks from the women on the screen to her own body, instantly feeling self conscious " Those girls are very beautiful, I really wish I was that beautiful" she sighs.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You are as beautiful as they are. I mean look at you absolutely gorgeous. In fact, you're more beautiful than those models" Pascal smiles softly.

"Pascal, stop it. You have to say that cause we're friends" Rapunzel blushes.

"It's true though I wouldn't lie to you. You have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen, your freckles are adorable, you're hair looks like it glows in the sunlight…I could go on all day" Pascal shrugs. When he had first seen Rapunzel he was almost instantly mesmerized by her beauty. That's why he rushed over to Rapunzel when Max was giving her a hard time at the meeting when they first met, he wanted to get to know this beautiful girl. He loves Rapunzel as a best friend she is the greatest friend he has ever had. Though lately, every time they meet up he finds himself getting lost in her eyes, her laugh, her sweet personality. He had a crush a crush that he could see turning into love. What could he do though? Telling Rapunzel his feelings could ruin their friendship and he doesn't want that.

"Oh Pascal. Thank you" Rapunzel lunches at him into a hug, pushing him down onto the bed with her ontop of him. She keeps squeezing him tight, clearly having no idea how much he really is enjoying this hug.

"Really Pascal. You're so sweet. It baffles me that you haven't found a girlfriend yet" Rapunzel says as she lets go of him and sits back up, "Speaking of that, have you found a date to the dance yet? Dana is trying to find me a date, maybe she could help you out too"

"Oh, no. I don't have a date yet. Though there is a girl that I have been thinking of asking" Pascal blushes, shifting his gaze away from Rapunzel.

"Ooh goody! Who is she? Is she in our classes? Do I know her?" Rapunzel asks eagerly.

"Yes, she's in our classes" Pascal blushes, "I..I think I'll keep her identity a secret..at least for now because I'm not sure if I'm going to ask her yet"

"Oh well, If you need help on how to ask her then you know where I live. I do know what girl's like after all" Rapunzel places her hand on Pascal's knee, "Don't worry though. Any girl would be lucky to go to the dance with you"

Half of Pascal is happy that Rapunzel is still oblivious that she is the one that he wants to ask, half of him just wishes he could get his feelings off his chest.

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><p><strong>Author's note: I hope that Pascal's crush didn't come too much out of nowhere.<strong>

**Also, thank you to everyone that reads and reviews this fic. I seriously thought no one would even read it. I love you all *blows you kisses***


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled or it's charcters and I am in no way affiliated with Disney**

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><p>"Hey there, Blondie" Flynn waves when Rapunzel answers the door.<p>

"You're late. We should fire him, right Rapunzel? Ya, you're fired" Pascal peeks up, behind Rapunzel

"Pascal, don't be silly. You're not fired Flynn, Pascal is joking" Rapunzel takes Flynn's hand and leads him into the dorm room. "Sit please" Rapunzel pushes Flynn to sit down in a chair in the middle of the room.

"Hey, Blondie. Easy there" Flynn chuckles.

"hmm, does he need makeup? I think maybe he needs some foundation to even out his skintone and some blush to put more life in his cheeks" Rapunzel places a finger to her chin in thought.

"No, I don't need makeup" Flynn chuckles.

"I think you might, let me take a look" Rapunzel sits down on his lap. She puts her face close to his and inspects his skin, softly touching his cheek with her hand. Flynn tried to ignore the closeness of her face, the depth of her green eyes, how good her soft touch felt and the feeling of her sitting in his lap, but he couldn't, he was lost in her. Why was she so perfect to him? Why did she smell like vanilla cupcakes which made him just want to devour her in kisses

"Actually, you look fine now that I have gotten a better look. There's just one thing" Rapunzel puts her hands in Flynn's hair and ruffles it up. "There. I think messy hair would be more of a challenge to draw. I like challenges" Rapunzel giggles, "One last thing" she softly strokes his goatee. "I just wanted to touch that. I've never touched one before" she says, sliding off his lap. Pascal is less than impressed with this whole situation. To him, Flynn just seems like the type of guy that always got what he wanted, especially when it came to girls. That's the main reason that Pascal didn't like Flynn. If Flynn wanted Rapunzel then he would no doubt get her without effort and Pascal would be left there in the dust. By the time Rapunzel turns around to look at him, Pascal brushes on a fake smile . Surely Rapunzel would not find the jealousy attractive.

"Okay, lets start!" Rapunzel claps her hands. "What pose should he do? You know what, surprise us Flynn, do whatever you want" Rapunzel takes her seat in front of him and begins drawing. From his eyes to the small smirk there was a newfound softness in him, a softness that no one really got to see. While Rapunzel focuses on that softness, Flynn focuses on how Rapunzel is furrowing her brow in deep concentration and how she occasionally sticks her tongue out as she draws. The way they looked at each other with their tiny smirks, it makes Pascal feel sick . Instead of drawing Flynn, Pascal draws Rapunzel's desk which is right beside Flynn.

"I'm done! Are you done Pascal?" Rapunzel asks excitedly a while later.

"Oh, ya, I'm done" Pascal says, quickly hiding his paper before Rapunzel could see, "Anyway, I better get going. Bye." Pascal gets up and heads for the door, not wanting to see anymore of Flynn with Rapunzel.

"Pascal, stay. I have some things to show Flynn and I'd love you to stay so you two guys can bond more!" Rapunzel follows Pascal.

"I'd love too but I don't feel so good" Pascal sighs.

"Ooh, okay. Well, feel better. I'll stop by with some soup later for you" Rapunzel gives Pascal a quick hug. Before he leaves, he considers waving to Flynn for only a second before shooting that idea down.

Flynn, meanwhile is staring at Rapunzel's drawing.

"I'm sorry if it sucks. I tried" Rapunzel winces.

"It's perfect as always, get some more confidence. If I could draw like you I'd never stop bragging about it" he chuckles

"Thanks Flynn. You're the best!" she gives him a quick hug.

For a second after their embrace Flynn is almost in a daze, taking in how close she was to him, how for that short time he got to hold her. "Umm, so you said you had something to show me?" he says, suddenly ending his daze.

"Oh yes!" Rapunzel exclaims, picking up a pile of papers from her desk." Okay, so I found you a few possible jobs. The first is a job as a waiter at an Italian restaurant. The major plus of that job is that you get to wear a bowtie, and bowties are so cute. The next job is a job at a pet shop, that one sounds fun! The third is a job as a garbage man. You would ride on the back of the truck and it would be so much fun" Rapunzel giggles, handing Flynn a pile of applications and newpaper job clippings.

"Gee, thanks. I can't believe you actually did this"

"Course I did it. I said I would" she shrugs casually, "Let me know how it goes too. I can find you more jobs if those don't work out. Ooh, and I will also let some of the other art teachers know amazing of a model you are so maybe you'll get more business" Rapunzel says as she smooths down his ruffled hair.

"I'll keep you posted" he smirks, "Maybe I'll start a blog about my journey" he smirks

"Well, I guess you better get going so you can work on your applications" Rapunzel smiles "Oh, I almost forgot! Here you go!" Rapunzel holds out some money to Flynn.

"Blondie, I'm not taking that. You've done enough for me that I owe you this favour. Use that money to buy yourself some more shampoo or something." Flynn shrugs.

"Flynn 'whatever your middle name is' Rider! You will take my money!" Rapunzel places a hand on her hips and gives him an angry look.

"What if I use that money to take you out to dinner?" He smirks.

"No, the money is for you and you only!" Rapunzel shakes her head.

"Wow, shut down for a date too, ouch" Flynn thinks.

"Fine" Flynn groans and takes the money from her.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled or it's characters and I am in no way affiliated with Disney**

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><p>"hey Blondie" Flynn casually walks into the cafe.<p>

"ooh Flynn,I will get you your coffee right away!" Rapunzel Says excitedly, "How is your day going thus far?"  
>"Pretty darn good I must say. Got an interview for that bowtied waiter job" he shrugs<br>"oh really? Flynn, that is fantastic! When is the interview?"  
>"this afternoon, 3 o'clock"<br>"Perfect! I'll go with you, for moral support! I mean, if that's okay with you" Rapunzel blushes  
>"ya, it's fine" he was really downplaying how much he wants Rapunzel to tag along<br>"oh goody! I know you'll get the job" Rapunzel claps her hands excitedly. Flynn on the other hand isn't so confident, of course he'd never let anyone else know that. It felt a little creepy to him but he just waited in that café drinking coffee and eating donuts until Rapunzel gets off work. He loves watching her work because she seems so passionate about her job. She'd make sure the muffins were lined up perfectly on the display and she's make sure the sandwiches were cut perfectly in the centre. She'd even draw little smilie faces on people's receipts and she'd give out stickers to any children that came i. He tried not to stare but he just couldn't help it.

"Ready to go?" Rapunzel giggles excitedly as Flynn is ready the paper a few hours later.

"Ah, Blondie you scared me" he jumps a bit.

"Sorry" she winces

"It's fine, I'm brave, I can handle it. Oh and yes I am ready to go" he neatly folds the paper and stands up from his seat. As soon as he stands up Rapunzel takes his hand. She thinks nothing of it, she always holds Pascal's hand when they walk together so they won't lose each other. Rapunzel doesn't want to lose Flynn either.

"So, are you nervous?' Rapunzel asks, swinging his hand with her's.

"Nope, I have this in the bag" Flynn shrugs. Deep down he was freaking out though. Upon approaching the restaurant Flynn sighs in nervousness and then turns to Rapunzel.

"Okay, break a leg! I will be waiting right here!" Rapunzel sits down on the wooden bench outside the restaurant. "wait Flynn!" she yells as he starts to turn away, "you didn't get a goodluck hug!" she hops over to him and tightly embraces him in a hug. "Now you're ready!"

The whole time he's inside Rapunzel sits there twiddling her thumbs and whistling to try and get the birds in the parking lot to come see her.

"Flynn, how did it go? Tell me all about it" Rapunzel jumps up when Flynn returns.

"Obviously I nailed it" he smirks, "I got the job". Flynn won't mention to her that he got the job moreso because he made out with his new boss than because he had a good resume.

"Oh Flynn, I knew you could do it!" Rapunzel wraps her arms around his waist and hugs him tight, "Let's celebrate! Ooh! I'm going to take you out for ice cream" Rapunzel says excitedly as she removes her hands from his waist.

The idea of going out for ice cream seems very elementary school-esque to Flynn. Like a mother taking her son as a reward for getting a perfect score on a spelling test. Though he would much prefer going out for drinks as a reward he won't pass up an outing with Rapunzel.

"Ice cream? Wow, you must be very proud of me" Flynn laughs.

"I am!" Rapunzel giggles and takes his hand, "I know a great place for ice cream"

Though they both swear they are just friends they both have this desire to hold hands when they walk together. It's like they both think the other will slip away if they aren't held onto.

"What kind are you getting? I'm getting chocolate!" Rapunzel giggles excitedly when they walk into a pastel yellow coloured ice cream shop

"Chocolate? Of all the flavours you pick plain chocolate?" Flynn laughs

"It's my favourite" Rapunzel shrugs, "What fancy flavour are you getting then?"

"Mint chocolate chip. It makes your breath smell minty fresh for kissing"

"Ooh, do you have a hot date tonight?" Rapunzel giggles

"No, I just always like to be prepared" he smirks. Her obliviousness was cute but Flynn really wants her to catch the hint that she is the one he wants to keep his breath minty fresh for. Once Rapunzel buys their ice cream and they take a seat in a light pink padded booth.

"Is your ice cream good? Do you like it?" Rapunzel asks immediately after Flynn takes his first lick of ice cream.

"Ya, It's really good" Flynn nods, "How's your's?"

"Delicious!" Rapunzel licks her lips, "umm Flynn, may I have a taste of your ice cream ? I'll let you have some of mine"

"Sure" he holds his ice cream cone to her , watching as she ticks her tongue out and swipes it across the ice cream.

"mmm, yummy! Your turn!" Rapunzel excitedly holds out her ice cream cone, As he's licking the ice cream Flynn cannot help but think that this was not exactly the take on swapping spit that he was familiar with.

"For just plain chocolate that is pretty good" Flynn nods. For a few minutes there's silence between them. Rapunzel's consumed by looking at all the happy people in the shop eating ice cream and Flynn just isn't used to cutsie ice cream shop conversation. He figures he'll take a risk and break the silence though.

"So, Blondie. Tell me more about yourself. I don't know that much other than the fact that you're a talented artist"

"Oh okay. Actually, lets play a game. I say something about me then you say something about yourself. I'll start" Rapunzel sits up straight in the seat ad takes another lick of her ice cream before saying, "I don't have a favourite colour because it's too hard to choose, I love them all"

"My favourite food pepperoni pizza, I'm easy to please" Flynn laughs. Of course Flynn isn't fond of sharing backstory but an exchange of a few little facts about himself seemed easy enough.

"I design and sew my own clothes" Rapunzel says proudly.

"Wow, impressive. Umm, I have always wanted to travel the world"

"I have always wanted to release floating lanterns. They're so pretty" Rapunzel says after a pause to lick more ice cream.

"I love watching thunderstorms"

"'I've never kissed a boy" Rapunzel says shyly as she finishes off her ice cream. That one just seemed to slip out and she had no idea why that would be something she would even bother telling. Flynn.

"Umm, that's okay. Neither have I" Flynn smirks. His heart sank when he heard her say that. Though he would be honoured to be her first kiss he thought she deserved better than to get her first kiss from a womanizer like him. He'd been other girls' first kisses and didn't think anything of it but he really cared about Rapunzel in a way that he hadn't ever cared about another girl.

"Flynn, Flynn" Rapunzel says breaking him from his thoughts, "You agreeing with me doesn't count as a fact about you, you have to tell me something else"

"Eugene, my real name is Eugene Fitzherbert " He says quietly, looking away from Rapunzel in embarrassment.

"What?"

"It's more than just my name that's different. Flynn Rider is not who I am. If you aren't pissed at me for lying to you then I'd like to explain" Flynn's gaze meets her's again.

"I'm not…angry" Rapunzel smiles softly

"Good, I've got some stuff to show you" he extends his hand across the table to her.

"Okay" Rapunzel nods and takes his hand.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled or it's characters. I am in no way affiliated with Disney**

**Note: Thanks to Mina for catching my mistake...I fixed the story!**

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><p>The walk back to Flynn's apartment is a long quiet one. Neither Rapunzel nor Flynn knew what exactly to say. Rapunzel keeps racking her mind to think of what he may be showing her. Maybe it was a box of all the things he'd stolen, that 's her best guess. Flynn on the other hand is just thinking about how to say everything he had to say and ho much of his past he should reveal.<p>

"Take a seat. Make yourself at home" Flynn gestures towards the couch when they enter the apartment. Flynn makes his way to the bedroom and a few minutes later he emerges with a cardboard box.

"What's in there? Wait, do I want to know? Is it bad stuff?" Rapunzel gasps

"No, don't worry. It's just a keepsake box. It's got some of my things in it from when I was a kid. Showing you this will help explain everything" he sits down beside Rapunzel and slowly opens the box.

"ooh a teddy bear. He's so cute. What's his name?" Rapunzel scoops up the ratty bear at the top of the box and nuzzles it to her cheek before she places it in her lap

"His name is Barry the bear..I named him when I was two so that explains the very uncreative name" Flynn laughs.

"What's this?" Rapunzel pulls a picture in a wooden frame out of the box. She was so anxious to find out about everything in this box that she couldn't stay focused on one thing for long. The picture depicts a smiling short, brown haired hazel eyed woman and a tall and muscular blond haired, blue eye man sitting under a tree. In between them is a little boy, about four years old with brown hair, hazel eyes and the cutest gap toothed smile.

"Is that cute little boy you?" Rapunzel points to the figure in the picture

"yup, that's me with my parents. As you can see I was ridiculously handsome from childhood" Flynn gives her a smirk.

"You look so much like your mom" Rapunzel holds the picture up beside Flynn's face and squints her eyes, studying him and the picture.

"Are you saying that I look like a woman?" Flynn chuckles.

"No, you just have her eyes and her smile. Ooh and you guys have the same hair , well the colour at least"

"Well thanks I guess. My mom was a great woman so I'm really honoured to share something with her" Flynn says quietly.

"Was? What happened?" Rapunzel gasps, eyes wide

"She died when I was six years old. Her and my dad were in a car accident. It wasn't their fault. Their car was hit by someone who was driving impaired, almost three times the legal alcohol limit, and they died on the scene before the emergency crew even got there" Flynn says softly, pulling out a newspaper clipping.

"Lillian Amelia Fitzherbert (September 13 1962-January 20 1992) and Jonathan William Fitzherbert (June 2 1959-January 20 1992), survived by their son Eugene Irving Fitzherbert…" Rapunzel starts to read the death announcement outloud but then she stops and just read the rest in her head . It talked about how loved they were. That he was a carpenter and she was a stay at home mom for Eugene. The funeral was five days after the death.

"Oh Eugene" she sighs and wraps her arms around him. It felt so right and natural to call him by his real name especially in this moment of vulnerability. Rapunzel was the first one to call him by his real name since he was a kid. For the longest time he hated his name but the way she said it made him like it. The way she emphasized the Eu- in his name was sort of adorable to him.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. You poor thing" Rapunzel squeezes him tight.

"Thanks" he says softly.

"So what happened? Did you get adopted or go live with your grandparents or something?" Rapunzel asks hopefully, still holding onto him.

"Sadly no. None of my family wanted to take on the responsibility of raising me so I went to an orphanage. I never got adopted though" Flynn hangs his head in embarrassment.

"Well, why didn't you get adopted? You were an adorable kid according to the picture"

"Well, for one I wasn't a baby when I went up for adoption, everyone wants to adopt babies so they feel more like the kid is their's. Also, I was just so angry that my parents were taken away so I acted out a lot, so that didn't help my case"

"Was the orphanage nice? I mean it must have been fun to have so many kids to play with" Rapunzel tries desperately to find something happy in his life.

"ya, having lots of kids to play with was a plus. The orphanage wasn't a nice place. It was cold and the beds were broken, in fact almost everything was broken. The headmistresses were mean. I know I wasn't a very good kid but I don't think I deserved to be covered in bruises"

"B..bruises? They hit you?" Rapunzel hugs him tighter.

"uh huh. I did have an escape though, a fantasy world sort of. There was this book, A book I used to read every night to all the younger kids, The Tales of Flynnigan Rider" he pulls out the large brown book from the box.

"Oh, so that's where you got the name from?" Rapunzel asks. She unwraps her arms from around him and she flips through the worn book.

"Yup, everything about Flynnigan was something I wanted to be. An adventurer, rich, brave, strong, independent. Flynnigan didn't need anyone, he could cope just fine on his own. After leaving the orphanage when I was 16 I kept telling myself that I didn't need anyone so I could protect myself from the reality that I really did have no one. I just hated my life so I tried to start anew as Flynn but life didn't get much better. I became so bitter, hating the world and I think my parents would be so ashamed to see what I have become, a thieving, womanizing, self-righteous ass. So the Flynn cover was a good one to save the shame to my family name"

"I don't know all of what you've done in life but the past cannot be rewritten. You cannot change what happened all you can do is be a better person today and change the future" Rapunzel places her hands on his cheeks "Let me tell you though, the guy right here with me is someone who your parents would be proud to have as their son. You've been so sweet to me, not a womanizer or an ass at all. I mean you haven't even tried to kiss me never mind get me in your bed" Rapunzel blushes, still holding his face, "You may have been a thief but you started doing it to survive. Right and wrong is not just black and white, there are shades of grey and stealing to survive is grey. You aren't self-righteous. The Eugene right here seems like he's not his own #1 fan despite pretending to be. You may be mad at the world but you have reason to. You had your parents taken from you, anyone would be angry about that. You just needed someone to love you. Just show the world the guy I get to see " she smiles softly

"Wow. That's pretty deep. Thanks again Blondie. I'll try to be that guy more often" Everything she said was true. Especially about how he hated himself deep down and he was so desperate for love in his younger years. Actually, he was still desperate for it now

"Good, Now I guess it's my turn to tell you about my life, it's only fair." Rapunzel sighs.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled or it's characters and I am in no way affiliated with Disney**

**Note: Since Flynn's real name has been exposed I shall refer to him as Eugene from now on**

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><p>"So, this is going to sound really weird to you but until I went to university I never left my home. My mother wouldn't let me. She told me the world was a terrible place and that everyone was just going to hurt me " Rapunzel stares down at her feet in embarrassment<p>

"What about going to school?"

"She homeschooled me. Though there were so many lessons she didn't teach me. She tried to avoid teaching me anything that might make me think that the world wasn't horrible. Things like telling me that women didn't have the right to vote and then never mentioning that was in the past and that now women can vote. Or teaching me about sicknesses but not that there's medication that treats them"

"Whoa, I've got to say that's…weird" Eugene furrows his brow, "Okay, well how did you convince her to let you leave?"

"I didn't convince her. On my 18th birthday I moved out before she woke up that morning. I knew she'd never let me go so I just left once I was old enough that she couldn't legally make me come back. We haven't talked since then. She doesn't know my cell phone number, she doesn't know where I go to school. I feel horrible for that" Rapunzel buries her face in her hands.

"Don't feel horrible. She lied to you and imprisoned you in your house, you did the right thing by leaving. Is being an artist not your dream?"

"ya, it is" Rapunzel peeks through her fingers

"well, you had to leave to achieve your dream. It's your life to live, not your mother's . You shouldn't feel bad" Eugene soothingly places a hand on Rapunzel's back.

"Thanks, it's just that she's my only family. I never knew my dad or grandparents or cousins or anything like that. I often wonder about my father. I look nothing like my mother so I must look like him. Maybe I act like him too"

"Well if your father left you then it's his loss. He's missing out on having a beautiful and wonderful daughter" Eugene smiles.

"That's not true" Rapunzel sighs.

"It is. Why in the world wouldn't it be ?"

"Because I'm not beautiful or wonderful or anything like that. I'm sloppy, immature, naive, clumsy, gullible, ditzy, chubby, vague, grubby. I'm too short, my eyes are too big, my boobs are not big enough, my freckles are weird and ugly, I have an overbite, oooh and I'm annoying"

"What? Rapunzel why would you think that? It's not true. You may be short but that makes you look so cute. Your big green eyes are gorgeous and so captivating that I could stare into them all day. You aren't chubby, you're really skinny. Like if you turned sideways you may disappear. Your freckles are beautiful. I think they suit you, they remind me of tiny paint splatters which works because you're an artist. Your uh…boobs are perfect too" he smirks, "Not that I have been staring at them or anything" he quickly adds. Truthfully though he had stared at them on a few occasions. They weren't huge and filled with silicone like most of the women he interacted with had.

"Well, thanks" Rapunzel smiles a bit, "But that's what my mother told me all the time. I don't know what's true though because she told me that for 18 years. Now I have you and Pascal telling me that she's wrong"  
>"well, Pascal and I are smart guys. We know a gorgeous girl when we see one. I swear that what I am saying is the truth"<br>"thanks" Rapunzel leans in and kisses his cheek. Eugene's cheeks start to blush red and he hopes Rapunzel does not notice.  
>"umm.. I can continue. I can tell you that all those other things aren't true too. Like how you aren't annoying, you're interesting" he offers, hoping that maybe further compliments would earn him a kiss on the lips.<br>"Eugene it's fine, you've been sweet enough today" Rapunzel smiles. Maybe someday she'll actually believe what Eugene had just told her.  
>"I just can't believe she talked to you like that. What kind of mother talks to their kid like that? You definitely should not feel guilty for not talking to her"<br>"But she's my mother" Rapunzel says quietly, "So I do feel guilty"  
>"I don't care who she is, that doesn't give her the right to treat you like that" he raises his voice. "hmmm, I know I've been pretty greedy getting a lot of favors from you but I have one more to request. If you ever talk to your mother again then I want you to do me a favor and don't let her insult you. Don't let her talk down to you"<br>"but what if she.." Rapunzel starts to say.  
>"if she doesn't stop then you tell me and I'll give her a piece of my mind"<br>Just then Rapunzel's phone beeps, signaling a text message.  
>"oops, I almost forgot, I have to meet Dana at the fabric store. I'm making a dress for her that she's going to wear to our school semi formal dance"<br>"ah, are you going to said dance?" Eugene asks, raising an eyebrow  
>"no, well probably not. I don't have a date. Dana said she'd find me one but I doubt she will be able to" Rapunzel bites her lip in embarrassment of not having a date, 'I bet you I will not have a date"<br>"fine, it's a bet. I get a pepperoni pizza if I'm right and what do you want if you win?" he takes her hand and walks her to the door.

"I'll get back to you on that" Rapunzel smiles, "anyway, it was great to get to know more about you. See you around Eugene" she says before slipping out the door. Honestly, Rapunzel knew what she wanted if she won the bet, she wanted a kiss, her first kiss from Eugene.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled of it's characters and I am in no way affiliated with Disney**

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><p>A few days later upon returning from English class Rapunzel finds a bouquet of rainbow daisies sitting outside her dorm room door.<p>

"Dana, someone left you flowers. I bet it was a boy" Rapunzel walks into the room and hands the flowers to her roommate.

"Flowers, for me? I didn't even hear anyone knock.I wonder who they're from" Dana smells the flowers and pulls out the card, "Punz, they're for you actually"

"Me? No, this must be a mistake" Rapunzel grabs the card and reads it.

Rapunzel,

You don't know who I am

and this is crazy

but I think you're beautiful

So be my dance date maybe?

Love your secret admirer.

p.s: tape your reply to your door, I'll find it later

"A secret admirer? Who could it be? Do you know?" Rapunzel gasps

"I haven't the foggiest. He's a secret to me too. But congrats. I hope he's hot" Dana smirks.

"So you didn't set me up with someone? You have nothing to do with it?" Rapuzel says, still reading the note over.

"Nope" Dana shrugs, "As much as I want to take credit for this I cannot"

"I can't believe this! I have a secret admirer? Me?" Rapunzel hugs the note to her chest

"Guess you better start sewing your own dress for the occasion"  
>"but should I commit to going with this guy if I don't even know who he is?" Rapunzel's spirit sinks a bit<br>"ya. It's not like you have to marry him if he's a dud. I doubt he is though, I mean he left you flowers"  
>"I guess, okay! I'll go with him! " Rapunzel giggles,."So what colour dress do you think I should have? I was thinking yellow. It's bright and fun"<br>"no, not yellow, too innocent and cute. What about black? Black is sexy. I bet your guy would love you in a short black dress"  
>"maybe he would but black's not my colour, too dark. What about pink or purple?"<br>"I'd go with purple"  
>"okay! I'll start drawing the design right away! Don't worry, I'll still have time to sew your's. I'll just have to cut doing puzzles and paper mache out of my schedule"<p>

Rapunzel grabs her sketchbook and fills pages of it with dress designs. There were long dresses and short dresses. Dresses with long sleeves, short sleeves and no sleeves. Dresses with bows and ruffles and lace. Finally Rapunzel settles on one particular design. A lilac coloured corset dress with light pink striped puff sleeves. The skirt of the dress would flare out a bit and hit her just above her ankles. She hoped the dress wasn't too much or too little. Was she supposed to match her date? How should she wear her hair? She had never been to an event like this before. The closest she got to something like this was hanging out with the thugs at the Snuggly Duckling. This was going to be her first date, probably her first kiss, maybe this guy would be her first love. Her dress would be of the utmost importance as it would be a main component on his first impression of her for the night. A bad first impression could set the rest of the night up for disaster. She grabs her purse and her sketches and decides to head out to the fabric store to buy her materials. In the hallway Rapunzel almost literally runs into Pascal and Max.

"Max, Pascal guess what, I bet you won't guess so I'll just tell you. I have a secret admirer! He left me flowers outside my dorm room and he asked me to go to the dance with him!" Rapunzel squeals.

"And…did you accept the offer?" Pascal asks

"I said yes! Well, I have to leave him a note on my door stating my answer but the answer will be yes" Rapunzel grins  
>"I don't like the fact that there's some guy around here just leaving flowers at your doorstep. Who is he? How exactly does he know where you live?" Max asks<p>

"I don't know. He probably lives in our building. Maybe on our floor" Rapunzel shrugs.

"Well, I'm determined to figure out who this guy is" Max crosses his arms over his chest, "

"Let me know when you find out who it is because as romantic as having a secret person crushing on you is, I want to know who it is so I can crush on them back. Anyway, I'm off to the store to get materials for my dress" Rapunzel giggles and skips off.

Max is left baffled that his surveillance of the area actually allowed for a secret admirer to plant the flowers without him noticing. For Pascal, this situation was very bittersweet. He loves seeing Rapunzel so happy, but he hates that some guy other than himself is the reason for that happiness. Pascal wanted to rip that little pink 'yes' sticky note off of her door and rip it up. Rapunzel wouldn't be his date all because he was too shy and self-conscious to ask her himself. Rapunzel seems so excited about this mystery man that his jealousy can't even make him ruin that excitement for her.

The little sticky note disappears late that night. The mystery man, Eugene takes it and places it in his pocket with a wide grin on his face. Now it was time for a celebratory drink and probably one last one night stand before trying to be Rapunzel's Prince Charming.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled or it's characters and I am in no way affiliated with Disney**

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><p>All Rapunzel's late nights staying up sewing pay off because when the night of the dance rolls around should has a beautiful, perfect fitting purple dress. Her hair was in a long, intricate braid with numerous flowers of various colors woven into it. Three little girls that often come into the cafe had been begging to braid her long blonde locks and Rapunzel finally gave them that chance. While sitting in her dorm waiting alone for her date the minutes seem to pass like hours. Dana had offered to wait with Rapunzel but Rapunzel didn't want to What if he is going to stand her make her and her boyfriend just sit there and wait. What if her date stood her up? What if this is some joke? Her nerves are calmed when she hears a knock on the door. When she opens the door Eugene is standing there in black pants, a white button down and a dark blue vest.<p>

"Oh Eugene, what are you doing here all dressed up?" Rapunzel asks in shock.

"Clean up good don't I? Isn't it obvious why I'm here? I'm your secret admirer"

"You?" Rapunzel's eyes widen

"Me. Sorry if you were expecting prince charming"

"Well you are charming. Prince or not you will be a fabulous date" saying that last word felt odd. Whether it was a good or bad odd Rapunzel was not sure yet.

"Thank you. May I say that you look stunningly beautiful tonight. There's just one thing missing" he moves his hand from behind his back to reveal a corsage made of purple carnations and babys-breath.

"a tiny bouquet of flowers! I love it, thank you!" Rapunzel wraps her arms around his waist and hugs him tight.

"Actually, it's a corsage." he takes her hand once she unwraps her arms from him. "guys give them to their dates, I don't know why, they just do. You wear it on your wrist like this" he takes her hand and slips the corsage on, giving her hand a soft kiss.

"My wrist has never looked prettier" Rapunzel giggles.

"Are you ready to go? Your chariot awaits"

"We're taking a chariot? Oh wow!"

"Well, not really. We're taking my old beat up pickup truck. Sorry Princess" He offers her his arm.

"Thank you" Rapunzel takes his arm, "I'm excited to ride in a truck. I never have before" Once they make their way to the parking lot Eugene picks up Rapunzel and lifts her into the white pickup from the 80's. Eugene bought it used about a year back because despite the rust it runs well.

"It smells delicious! Reminds me of cupcakes" Rapunzel smiles

"Ya, I bought a vanilla air freshener just for you cause I thought you'd prefer it to old truck smell" Eugene chuckles.

"Thanks, you've really done a lot just for me. Air fresheners and flowers and getting dressed up" Rapunzel blushes.

"No need to thank me" he gives her a small crooked smile. The journey to the hall that the dance is being held at is a quiet one after that. Eugene stays quiet to prevent himself from sounding blubbering idiot who cannot get over how beautiful the woman sitting beside him is. Rapunzel is too lost in daydreaming about the night ahead to speak.

"Okay, we're here. Now stay in the truck until I come and open the door for you" Eugene instructs. When he opens the passenger door for her Rapunzel slides right off the seat and Eugene has to reach his arms out and catch her.

"careful there. We don't need to be taking a trip to the hospital cause you broke a broke or something" Eugene holds her there in his arms.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we have to. I can barely walk in these heels" Rapunzel bites her lip.

"Why did you wear them then?" Eugene asks as they start walking

"Cause I figured my date would be tall so I'd need them. I was right, you are tall" Despite how uncomfortable her shoes are, she runs right up to Pascal as soon as she spots him at

"Rapunzel, hello there. You look amazing" Pascal gives her a hug.

"Thank you, and you look dashing. What a creative outfit you have" Pascal is dressed in a mossy oak camouflage suit with matching bowtie.

"Pff dashing?" Eugene rolls his eyes.

"excuse me. I will not take this from someone that has been naked almost everytime I've seen him. You know nothing about clothes" Pascal laughs, "Seriously Rapunzel, how much are you getting paid to take him as a date?"

"Boys, boys! Enough! Eugene, how about you go get me some punch, I'm a bit thirsty" Rapunzel suggests to get the boys to stop bickering.

"Sure thing Princess" he gives a little bow and heads to the punch table. Pascal is about to ask about Rapunzel's choice of date when Rapunzel notices Pascal's date.

"So Pascal, who's this lovely lady standing with you?" Rapunzel asks.

"This is Cecilia. Cecilia, this is my best friend Rapunzel" Pascal introduces them.

"It's lovely to meet you Cecilia. I can't believe Pascal didn't tell me about you"

"Well, in his defence we are just friends. I work at the zoo and we met while he was there one day drawing the chameleons. So you're not missing an epic romance between us" Cecilia laughs. Pascal just didn't want to go to the dance alone and Rapunzel wanted him to go so bad because she thought it'd be fun. He couldn't tell her that he wasn't too keen on going because he couldn't bring her as a date.

"Here you go Princess" Eugene hands her a small punch glass when he returns.

"Thank you Eugene. My, you're such a gentleman" Rapunzel giggles. Eugene tries to be as gentlemanly as possible. He never leaves her side unless she asks him to fetch a drink or a snack or when he has to go to the bathroom. Though when he leaves the bathroom he cannot find her at all. After about ten minutes of searching he finds her outside on the patio playing with a flower that has fallen out of her hair.

"Oh, so you're hiding from me now?" Eugene laughs

"I'm not hiding. Just stepped outside to get some air because it's so lovely outside" Rapunzel sighs

"It is a nice night. Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"No, no. Actually I kind of want to ask you something. Did you become my secret admirer so you could get pizza? Did you do it cause you felt sorry for me cause I'm dateless?" Rapunzel asks quietly. She'd wondered why he'd asked her from the moment she saw him that day and her curiosity is finally getting the best of her. She wants to think that he likes her but she has to ask just so she doesn't get her hopes built too far up.

"Neither" he takes both of her hands in his and looks into her large green eyes, "I did it because you're beautiful, smart, adorable, creative, kind, generous, I could go on all day. You're just perfect and I like you. Not just as friends but as a lot more. I'm sorry if I'm not making sense. I'm horrible at sharing my feelings" Rapunzel can't believe this. A guy, an attractive one at that, has a crush on her. He could have any girl he wanted and yet he likes her. Rapunzel has to take a moment to let it all sink in before she speaks again.

"I like you too" Rapunzel says shyly.

"Wait, what? Are you just saying that to be polite?" Eugene asks. She'd shot down any advances he'd made. Perhaps he was too subtle when he made them.

"No, I've thought that for sometime now. Since our hangout day when you told me more about yourself. I wanted to tell you my feelings before but I was just scared. The thing is I'm not scared anymore, you know?"

"I'm starting to" he smiles. He was scared to genuinely feel something for someone. To be venerable and place his heart in someone else's hands and for him to in turn have someone's heart in his. That fear is starting to dissipate and he feels like taking a chance with Rapunzel and for the first time let his guard down 100% for someone. He lets go of one of her hands, softly placing his hand on the back of her head. Eugene pulls her face slowly closer to his as they both close their eyes in preparation for their lips to grace.

"Hey you two…umm" Pascal walks out onto the patio and stops in his tracks, turning red as he sees that they were about to kiss.

"Oh, hey Pascal. What's up?" Rapunzel opens her eyes and pulls away from Eugene, her own cheeks blushing

"I was uh..just coming here to tell you that dinner is about to be served very soon. So ya you might want to get in there" Pascal bites his lip. So Rapunzel will have to wait until after dinner to get her first kiss.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tangled or it's characters and I am in no way affiliated with Disney**

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><p>After squealing between Rapunzel and Dana over Rapunzel's date and a dinner that consists of both Eugene and Rapunzel not eating much in fear that they'll spill all over their outfits it's time to dance. The music starts up and Rapunzel looks at the dance floor with wide eyes.<p>

"Eugene, will you dance with me? I know it's not really your thing but I would love to have just one dance with you. Please" Rapunzel turns to Eugene and smiles a little.

"Of course. A dance isn't that big of a request afterall. I'll dance with you all night if you want" he takes her hand and leads her out onto the dance floor. Does this classify him as being whipped? Perhaps, but for once he doesn't care. They place one hand on each other's back and the other they keep in their dance partner's hand. For the whole dance they're looking deep into each other's eyes, not even paying attention to the lyrics of the song . Eugene uses his hand on her back to push her in closer to him and Rapunzel blushes. She wants to grab him and kiss him right on the lips but she didn't want to do it with so many people around.. What if she was a bad kisser and Eugene would pull away? Maybe Eugene wouldn't even want to been seen kissing her in public. They're so lost in each other that it takes them a few seconds to notice that the slow song they were dancing to has been changed to a fast hip hop song. They snap out of their daze and quickly they let go of one another. Eugene goes to sit back down at the table while Rapunzel decides to shimmy and twirl to the current song.

"Well, well well. Who would have thought that the great Flynn Rider would be in love?" Max comes and sits down beside him.

"What are you talking about?" Eugene raises an eyebrow.

"It's written all over your face. You love Rapunzel. Plus, you danced with her for a whole song without grabbing her ass or staring at her chest. That is not typical behaviour for you" Max smirks.

"I don't love her. I like her yes but I think love may be premature. Why are you even happy about this? I thought you didn't want me within a mile radius of her"

"That was before I saw that you have the capacity to feel for someone other than yourself. But still remember, if you break her heart…I break you" Max narrows his eyes.

"Noted" Eugene nods

"Are you boys getting along? I do hope so" Rapunzel skips over.

"Actually for once we are" Max smiles.

"Oh lovely! Max, do you mind if I steal my date from you? A slow song is on and I need a dance partner" Rapunzel asks.

"Take him. He's your date after all" Max gives Eugene a little push out of his chair.

"You love her" Max mouths to Eugene as Rapunzel pulls him away

"Owww. My feet hurt" Rapunzel whines after the final dance of the nice

"Okay, fine" Eugene bends down, "get on my back. I'll piggyback you"

"oh yay!. I've never had a piggy back ride before" she wraps her legs around Eugene's waist and her arms around his neck.

"Thank you Eugene. Tonight was wonderful" Rapunzel rests her head on his.

"No need to thank me. I had fun too"

"Best first date ever!" Rapunzel exclaims.

"Oh, so this was a date huh?" Eugene chuckles.

"I mean, umm if you want it to be considered a date"

"I would call this a date" he says casually

"good! You probably figured this but this is my first first date"

"well I am honoured to share your first first date with you"

She wanted to ask if this being a date made them boyfriend and girlfriend. She wants that answer to be a yes but she's too scared of a possible no that she cannot ask it.

"Eugene, I was wondering if you were busy this weekend. We're leaving tomorrow to go skiing and I was wondering if you wanted to come. It's fine if you're busy or don't want to go. I just wanted to offer cause I think it'll be fun" She asks as Eugene helps her into the truck.

"I'd love to go. I'll just trade some shifts at work. I must say, I've never been skiing before" he smiles, excited to spend a weekend with Rapunzel. Another plus is the potential for cuddles to warm each other up from a cold day on the slopes.

"me either! We can have our first times together. And don't worry, I'll pay for everything for you so you don't have to steal anything to go"

"you don't have to do that. You don't have to pay for anything" Eugene shakes his head

"well you gave me such a good first first date that I owe it to you" Rapunzel insists

"so when should I pick you up tomorrow?"

"I was thinking about 8:00"

"AM?" Eugene exclaims

"Yes, we have to start early. Don't want to waste the day. Don't worry though, i'll have lots of coffee waiting for you. If you really can't drag yourself out of bed then I can get a ride with Dana and her boyfriend. I was just going to go with them before"

"no, I'll pick you up. I owe it to you cause you say you'll pay for everything" Eugene chuckles.

Upon arriving back at the school Eugene offers her his arm once more and escorts her to her room.

"Thanks again Eugene tonight was wonderful" She wraps her arms around him tightly. After the hug Rapunzel let's out a little giggle and then quickly presses her lips to Eugene's, wrapping her arms around his neck. Eugene's eyes widen as soon as her lips touch his. He had been thinking about kissing her all night but he wasn't counting on her beating him to the punch. Eugene's eyes slowly close and his hand finds it's way to her hair as he tilts his head to the side and pushes his lips to hers. There is a chemistry between them that neither can deny. They'd part lips for a second to breathe and then go back in for another kiss. Neither of them really wanted the kiss to end but Eugene pulls away to prevent him from trying to go further. He wants to but he's pretty certain that she wouldn't want to.

"Wow, that was..impressive. You sure that was your first kiss?" Eugene smirks, still catching his breath

"ya," Rapunzel blushes, "and you weren't so bad yourself"

"I wasn't so bad?" Eugene chuckles

"I'm kidding. You are an amazing kisser. Perfectly deserving of my first ever kiss"

"I will cherish the fact that I was your first kiss forever" Eugene smiles softly.

Rapunzel just looks at him and smiles before saying "I guess I should let you get home" Rapunzel kisses his cheek, "goodnight Eugene"

"Goodnight Rapunzel"


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not on Tangled or it's characters and I am in no way affiliated with Disney**

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><p>"Right on time! I'm impressed. See, waking up early isn't so hard" Rapunzel smiles when she opens the door at promptly 8AM to see Eugene standing there.<p>

"It was the promise of coffee that pulled me here" he chuckles, "Which reminds me, you better have some or I'm out of here"

"I kept my promise. I got you two coffees cause I don't know how much you want. If you don't drink two then I'll drink the other"

"I don't think I'd want to see you hopped up on coffee. You're energized enough everyday without it" Eugene chuckles

Rapunzel grabs her bag and starts to pull it across the floor.

"Here, let me help you" Eugene grabs her bag ad throws it over his shoulder, "You just carry the coffee"

In Eugene's truck Rapunzel stays fairly quiet because she does not want to interrupt Eugene's coffee drinking but she figures there's something she needs to mention.

"Eugene, ummm.. so since it was kinda last minute you'll have to share a hotel room with me and Pascal.I hope that's alright" she says shyly

"You and Pascal? Are all three of us cramming into one bed?" Eugene's eyes widen

"No, there's two beds. Because I didn't know if my date would be a dud or not I didn't know if my date would even be going skiing with me. So Pascal and I just decided to be roomies anyway and Pascal suggested just shoving my date in the closet to sleep. Don't worry though, I won't put you in the closet. I'll just sleep on the floor"

"Rapunzel, you're not sleeping on the floor. If anyone will be sleeping on the floor it's me" he chuckles softly "But uh..we can share a bed. I promise that I won't hog the bed too much"

"It's not that it's…" she starts to say quietly

"Rapunzel, nothing is going to happen. Flynn may not be able to keep it in his pants but Eugene can. Nothing will happen in that bed other than sleeping"

"Well, maybe a little more. Maybe I'll roll over in my sleep and cuddle you thinking that you're a big teddy bear" Rapunzel giggles.

"You're so cute" Eugene smiles at her. Then Rapunzel stays quiet again to allow for coffee drinking and for her to gaze out the window. To save potential hyper overload with Rapunzel Eugene drinks all the coffee.

"Pascal! Hello!" Rapunzel runs into his arms when they arrive at the parking lot of the ski resort. "This is going to be so fun! Aren't you excited?" Rapunzel starts to jumps up and down as she hangs on tightly to Pascal.

"Yup, I'm excited!" Pascal squeezes her. "Oh, I see you even brought your own baggage handler" he says as he spots Eugene approaching them with Rapunzel's and his own luggage in tow.

"Ya, Eugene is joining us. He's going to be our roomie and you two boys are going to get along"

"Okay Roomie, you can carry my bag too" Pascal drapes his bag over Eugene's shoulder.

"Oh Pascal, I am your humble servant" Eugene rolls his eyes. Rapunzel and Pascal walk a little ahead of Eugene who is trying his hardest not to struggle with their three bags

"I don't have to sleep in the same bed as him do I?" Pascal whispers and wrinkles his nose.

"No, no. Eugene will share a bed with me. You get a bed all to yourself" Rapunzel whispers back

Pascal raises an eyebrow. "Rapunzel…are you sure? I mean he has a reputation for sleeping around"

"Pascal. You know me. I'm not like that. I'm a good girl. Nothing will happen between Eugene and I in that bed other than sleeping. I trust that Eugene wouldn't try anything on me, he said he wouldn't, and especially with you present" When they enter the hotel room Rapunzel gasps and runs over to the bed beside the window, flopping down on it.

"so, where I Dana? Did she get lost?" Rapunzel asks.

"No, I think she's off making out with her boyfriend in a hot tub somewhere around here" Pascal shrugs.

"But that seems like a waste. You can make out anywhere. You cannot just ski anywhere" Rapunzel nuzzles into the pillow

"You are underestimating how great hot tub makeout sessions are" Eugene laughs

"Ya, I bet you know all about them" Pascal scoffs

"I think I'll just nap while you two go skiing" Eugene flops down on the bed with Rapunzel

"No, you have to come with us! You shouldn't be sleepy, you had coffee!" Rapunzel whines, shooting up into a sitting position "Don't make me tickle you to get you out of bed!"

"Oooh, I am so afraid of being tickled" Eugene laughs, "I'll do anything as long as you don't tickle me" he jokes.

"Great! I need to go braid my hair so it's all neat for skiing. When I come out of the bathroom you guys better be ready to go" Rapunzel says as she rummages through her bag to get her hairbrush.

"so what's going on between you two anyway? Are you an item?" Pascal whispers once she's escaped into the bathroom.

"I don't know, I mean we confessed that we like each other and we kissed. I just don't want to push her because everything is so new for her. I don't know what she's ready for and no one likes to be rejected" Eugene sighs.

"Oh, you kissed?" Pascal sighs, "Great" he mumbles under his breath

"Boys, why don't you have your mittens on yet? Let's get going!" Rapunzel claps her hands together as she skips out of the bathroom, her blonde braid swinging.

"I don't think I need mittens. Real men such as myself don't get that cold" Eugene smirks

"Eugene Fitzherbert, you put those mittens on right now! Frost bitten fingers are not a laughing matter' Rapunzel narrows her eyes at him and pouts.

"Fine, Mom. I'll wear the mittens. But I won't like it" Eugene sticks out his tongue at her. Once Pascal and Eugene are both bundled up enough that Rapunzel thinks they won't catch a chill they head downstairs to rent their skis.

"These boots are so big" Rapunzel stomps around in the ski boots.

Eugene scoops Rapunzel up in his arms and places her on a bench "You need to put your skis on if you are going to successfully you know.. ski" Eugene attaches her skis to her boots and them puts her ski helmet on her head. "Gotta protect that gorgeous head of your's" he smiles before helping her up.

"Eugene…is my head gorgeous too?" Pascal bats his eyes.

"Sure Pascal" Eugene rolls his eyes.

The three of them take some ski lessons which Rapunzel take sin every detail of and Eugene is not paying attention at all to the instructor and is just watching Rapunzel.

Once it's time to actually ski Rapunzel decides to go first since she's the most excited. The whole way down the hill Rapunzel is yelling "weee" and giggling. The hill was little but conquering it means so much to her. She never thought she'd do something like skiing, she never thought she'd leave her house. She also never thought that she'd have a bestfriend and a boyfriend, well maybe boyfriend, to share this with.

"that was so fun! We have to do it again. This time a bigger hill!" Rapunzel exclaims when Pascal and Eugene meet her at the bottom. The whole day of skiing does not go so well though. On one hill Eugene is skiing ahead of Rapunzel and Pascal and he makes the mistake of looking back to catch a glimpse of Rapunzel. In that moment of gazing at her he hits a bump and tumbles sideways onto the ground, his left hand breaking his fall.

"Eugene!" Rapunzel yells. "Oh no, are you alright? Are you hurt?" she kneels down beside him.

"I'll be alright. I probably just sprained my wrist, I'm fine" he holds out his right hand so Rapunzel can help pull him up.

"I'm so sorry, everything will be fine. I'm so sorry" Rapunzel keeps saying over and over again as they walk back to the chalet.

"Okay, Pascal get some ice and something to wrap it in" Rapunzel orders, "Eugene, can you move you hand at all" Rapunzel asks soothingly.

"I can move my hand fine. I just can't move my wrist" Eugene bites his lip in pain as he tries to bend his wrist. Pascal returns with the ice and Rapunzel slowly places it on Eugene's wrist.

"Now, keep that ice there to reduce the swelling. We're going to take you to a doctor and get them to have a look at you" Rapunzel instructs.

"I'm fine. I don't need a doctor. This will fix itself. Go back and have fun and leave me here to sip hot chocolate" Eugene replies.

"He should go to the doctor's, right Pascal?" she asks. Pascal nods. "two against one. Eugene Irving Fitzherbert, we are going to the doctors and that is that!"


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Disney and I do not own Tangled or it's characters**

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><p>Rapunzel, Eugene and Pascal piled into Pascal's tiny green car. Rapunzel sat next to Eugene in the backseat so she can make sure Eugene keeps his wrist iced.<p>

"Pascal, can't you go faster? Poor Eugene has to get to the hospital" Rapunzel shouted.

"Blondie, it's only a suspected broken wrist. I'm not in labour…or dying" Eugene chuckled.

Rapunzel was really antsy while they sat in the emergency room. She kept bouncing in her seat and then getting up to pace around until the nurse finally called them into the exam room where an X-ray is taken. Rapunzel sat holding Eugene's right hand and pascal sat beside Rapunzel holding her hand to try and keep her calm

"Doctor, what happens if it's broken? Will he just need a cast? How long will it take to heal? What if it never heals?" Rapunzel bombarded the doctor with questions as soon as she entered the room.

"it all depends on where the break is. Some breaks require surgery. Others just need a cast. The healing time also depends on where the break is" the doctor explained while waiting for the developed X-ray.

"s…surgery?" Rapunzel's eyes started to get big and tear up.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine. Don't cry please" Eugene squeezed her hand softly. The waiting time for the X-ray seemed like forever but the time finally did arrive when the nurse walked in with them.

"You're in luck. It's just a small fracture, perfectly treatable with a cast. Your boyfriend is going to be just fine and will be completely healed in about 4-6 weeks" the doctor gave Rapunzel a little smile

At the word boyfriend Rapunzel starts to flush nervously. Eugene didn't correct the doctor, he didn't make a disgusted face like she thought he would. Actually a little smirk appeared on his face. Rapunzel didn't have the heart to correct the doctor either. She quite liked the idea of being his girlfriend. Maybe, just maybe he liked that idea too. Eugene tried to be tough to impress Rapunzel and not flinch as the doctor correctly positions his wrist and casts it.

"Eugene. Your cast is so white and plain. Can I decorate it when we get back to the hotel? Please! I have markers in my bag and I won't draw girly things on there, I promise" Rapunzel says as they walk back to Pascal's car.

"sure" he shrugs, "Do whatever you please" He really couldn't say no to Rapunzel and her big green excited eyes. The whole car ride back Rapunzel remained in the backseat with Eugene because she wanted to be there for him if he needed her to care for him. Back at the hotel Rapunzel flopped down on the bed and patted the mattress beside her to signa that boys to come sit down with her.

"Pascal. You can help! It will be so fun the three of us spending time together. This time I am sure no one will be hurt" Rapunzel nodded as she rummaged through her bag to find her markers., "Okay, lets get down to business" she said as she handed some markers to Pascal

"What are you drawing anyway?" Eugene asked

"What, don't you trust me?" Rapunzel stuck her tongue out

"No, I trust you. It's your drawing companion that I don't trust"

"You're right not to trust me. I'm seeing pink flowers and princess tiaras. They would help bring out your eyes" Pascal batted his eyes at Eugene.

"Rapunzel!" Eugene whined

"Oh, you're so manly when you whine to a girl to save you" Pascal laughed

"Pascal, no drawing girly things. Eugene, you're perfectly manly don't worry. Why can't you two just get along? You guys should do some man bonding. How do men bond anyway? Maybe you could watch a hockey game on tv or something together, or you could go to a bar and hangout. But no getting drunk! I want you boys to be safe"

"So you want us to go on a man date?" Pascal asked

"Yes! You can go on it tomorrow night! It will be wonderful!" Rapunze giggled

"Rapunzel do we have to?" Eugene whined again

"Yes! You will do it. Then you guys will soon be best friends"

"Best friends? I don't think so. I already have you as a best friend. I don't need another one" Pascal said

"Pascal. I can share you. You can have more than one best friend. I don't care how much you boys whine about it. You're going to do it" Rapunzel nodded, "I may follow you and watch you from a distance just to make sure you guys are bonding"

"Great. Not only am I going on a man date but I will be stalked while on it" Eugene rolled his eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me mister or you will be sleeping in the bathtub tonight instead of the bed" Rapunzel laughed.

"Or I'll just climb into bed with my future best friend Pascal" Eugene winked

"Not on your life pretty boy" Pascal rolled his eyes

"Umm, look Eugene. I'm done!" Rapunzel giggled excitedly to try and get the boys to stop being at each other's throats, "It's a drawing of you Eugene, and a cute little penguin holding your hand"

"Why a penguin?" Eugene chuckled

"I like them. They're fluffy and cute. I feel kinda bad for them cause they can't fly. Pascal, what did you draw?" Rapunzel asked

"A chameleon. I named him Bob"

"Okay, now we sign our names" Rapunzel swirled her signature on the cast in light purple marker. By the time the art project on Eugene's wrist was over it was time for bed. Rapunzel went to change into her pajamas in the bathroom while the boys just faced either direction and changed in the bedroom.

"oh, you sleep with no shirt on. Don't you get..Umm cold?" Rapunzel asked nervously to Eugene when she emerged from the bathroom ad saw his sleeping attire which was just a pair of pajama pants.

"no. Do you want me to put a shirt on though?"

"Yes!" Pasca exclaimed.

"No, it's fine. Whatever you're most comfortable in" Rapunzel shrugged. She had started to gain a liking for his body, at least the top half that is. The three of them laid down to sleep but something was still on Rapunzel's mind

"Eugene, are you asleep yet?" she whispered

"not yet. What's on your mind?" he turned to face her

"are you..uh my boyfriend? When the doctor called you my boyfriend you didn't correct her" she said shyly

"neither did you" he shrugged

"true. I know why I didn't correct her but why didn't you?"

"well, I didn't because I really like the idea of being your boyfriend. I don't want to protest it. You? Why did you not correct her" As he said that Eugene swore his heart stopped. He'd never felt so nervous before. He'd also never had feelings for a girl as strong as his for Rapunzel. Maybe she just kept quiet to be polite

"for the same reason as you. I want to be your girlfriend" she blushes.

"well let's make it official then. Rapunzel, will you be my girlfriend?" he whispered with a huge grin on his face

Rapunzel doesn't say anything, she just wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.

"I'm taking that as a yes" he laughed

"it is a yes!" she giggled

"I need cute pet names for you now. Honey? Baby? Dear? Darling? Sweetie?" Rapunzel thought outloud.

"what about sexy?" Eugene winked, "I don't mind those names. Call me whatever you want"

"I think I'll call you sweetie or honey. You can call me whatever you like too"

"I think I'll go with baby, or babe"

"Hey, Sweetie, Baby. Go to sleep!" Pascal throws a pillow at them


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled or it's characters and I am in no way affiliated with Disney**

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><p>As the sun peeked through the curtains Rapunzel opened her eyes to greet the new day. She awoke to find Eugene's right arm lazily slung over her . She didn't want to move his arm to get up from bed right away so she just watched him sleep. She found it adorable how his bangs hung in front of his eyes and how he had a bit of a smirk on his lips even as he slept. His way of breathing was even interesting to her, how he'd breathe in through his nose and out his mouth. She figured that by now she should stop staring just in case Eugene woke up and caught her. She strained her neck to peek over at Pascal's bed to find him tossing and turning.<p>

"Psst, Pascal. You awake over there?" she whispered

"ya" Pascal turned to her

"Kay, I'm coming over" Rapunzel carefully lifted Eugene's arm off of her and placed it softly down on the bed before climbing into Pascal's bed, "Did you sleep well?"

"I slept great. Did you sleep good with your new…boyfriend?" Pascal groaned as he said the last word.

"I did in fact, he's quite cuddly" Rapunzel giggled. "Pascal, I know you don't really like him but are you happy for me?"

"Of course I am Rapunzel. If you're happy then I'm happy for you." Pascal was jealous, there was no doubt about that, but if Rapunzel was happy then he wouldn't wish ill on her relationship with Eugene.

"I'm glad. After tonight, when you two have your little outing you will be great friends" Rapunzel wrapped her arms around Pascal in a tight hug.

"I promise that I will try to get along with him" Pascal squeezed her tight. He owed it to Rapunzel to at least try. During their hug Rapunzel's stomach lets out a soft growl.

"Sounds like I'm hungry, are you hungry?" Rapunzel pulled away from the hug

"Yes, lets go get food" Pascal nodded

"We can't. Eugene is still asleep" Rapunzel gestured to the peaceful Eugene that was still I the same position he was when she left the bed.

"Then go without him or wake him up" Pascal said frankly.

"Pascal, he only became my boyfriend last night. I cannot anger him already by waking him up or making him miss breakfast"

"Fine, I'll do it!" Pascal slid off the bed and walked over to the sleeping Eugene. He stood over Eugene's sleeping figure and gave him a wet-willy

"Aah!" Eugene sat right up in bed. "What was that?"

"It was Pascal" Rapunzel pointed to Pascal who was still standing beside Eugene's bed.

"Pascal, you better have a good reason for this" Eugene groaned

"I do in fact. Rapunzel and I are hungry and Rapunzel doesn't want to get food without you. She's such a good girlfriend already, you're lucky" Pascal gave Eugene a cheeky smile

"You didn't need to wait for me to get breakfast" Eugene yawned and buried his head in the pillow.

"Told ya!" Pascal stuck out his tongue at Rapunzel.

"But I want you to comet breakfast! Get up sleepyhead!" Rapunzel whined, "if you don't get up then you get no breakfast and…you get no good morning kiss"

"In that case then. I think I will get up and redeem my good morning kiss" Eugene sat back up in bed and puckered his lips. Rapunzel giggled and leaned in and gave him a soft kiss.

"Wow, you're whipped already" Pascal laughed

"Pascal, explain to me why my girlfriend is in your bed" Eugene crossed his arms over his chest.

"She left your bed to go to mine. I guess she likes me more" Pascal gave a cocky grin

"Boys! I like you both! One of you is my boyfriend and the other is my best friend. I like you both just in different ways. Now get dressed because I want pancakes" Rapunzel walked over to her bag on the floor and started to dig through it to find some clothes. Rapunzel decided on a pair of light blue jeans and a light pink turtleneck sweater that she knitted. "Now, I'm going to get dressed. When I come out you two better be dressed and ready for breakfast" Rapunzel skipped off into the bathroom. Both of the guys get dressed promptly as per Rapunzel's orders. Perhaps both of them are whipped. Rapunzel takes their hands and walks to the restaurant for breakfast. Rapunzel and Eugene ordered pancakes and Pascal chose fruit salad

"Are you alright? I can cut your pancakes for you and feed them to you" Rapunzel said as she watched Eugene struggle with cutting his food.

"I'll manage" Eugene furrowed his brow in determination

"Eugene, your manliness will not be compromised by me cutting your pancakes " she grabbed Eugene's plate and started to cut his pancakes. "Open up" Rapunzel lifted a pancake filled fork to Eugene's mouth

"I still have one good hand. I can feed myself. But thanks" Eugene said before eating the forkfull of pancake.

"Alright but I'm right here if you need me" Rapunzel smiled at him. They were just about done their breakfast when Dana came strolling up to the table.

"Long time no see guys. What's going on?" Dana asked

"Lots! Exciting news! Eugene and I are boyfriend and girlfriend, as of last night" Rapunzel exclaimed

"Really? Well congrats on that" Dana smiled, "Eugene, what happened to your arm? Did you and Rapunzel get a bit carried away celebrating your new relationship ?"

"No, Dana. There was none of that. I fractured my wrist skiing, that's all" Eugene rolled his eyes.

"Eugene, what did she mean by us getting carried away?" Rapunzel whispered.

"You don't want to know, let's just leave it at that" he whispered back.

"Anyway, I came here to ask if you guys wanted to hangout tonight. My boyfriend has to work tonight so he has to leave and I'll be lonely" Dana pouted.

"We'll have a girl's night! Pascal and Eugene are going to have a boy's night tonight so we can do all the girly things we want without them" Rapunzel said excitedly.

"Perfect! I'll meet you at your room later tonight. This is going to be so fun. Anyway, I need to get going. I was just supposed to be doing a coffee run. Adios Amigos!" Dana waved and then walked off.

~Later That Day~

"Okay, before your outing I have some rules. The first rule is that you guys will be nice to each other, no name calling. Second rule is that I don't want you two getting drunk. You can have some drinks but I don't want you guys getting drunk and getting hurt, especially because Eugene is already hurt. Rule three is have lots of fun. Now give me a hug" Rapunzel held out her arms. Pascal gave her a hug first and then Eugene hugged her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"So, what do you drink?" Eugene asked as him and Pascal took a seat at the bar.

"I don't really know. I haven't drank much of anything" Pascal shrugged

"why doesn't that surprise me?" Eugene rolled his eyes. "Hey, barkeep. Two Corona's please"

"I don't think I'm really a beer person" Pascal wrinkled his nose.

"It's the beer named after our homeland. Not liking it would simply be unpatriotic"

"I guess I wouldn't want to be unpatriotic" Pascal lifted up the beer bottle and took a drink. Pascal scrunched up his face after he swallowed the alcohol.

"Don't worry, it tastes better the more of it you drink" Eugene chuckled

"Well in that case" Pascal started to chug the bottle.

"Whoa, take it easy. Do you want to deal with the wrath of Rapunzel if you get drunk?" Eugene smirked.

"Wow, you are actually looking out for me. I'm shocked. Maybe you aren't so bad. I mean you have to have at least a number of good qualities if Rapunzel actually wanted to date you"

"So, we should get you a girlfriend. I'm sure Rapunzel's next mission since we're not killing each other right now is to set up some double dates" Eugene said

"I really think I'm a lost cause when it comes to finding a girlfriend" Pascal took another drink

"Come on, you aren't that bad. Maybe if you just got a normal hair colour than the women would be all over you." Eugene ruffled up Pascal's hair with his hand.

"But there is a girl I like. She's taken though" Pascal sighed

"Don't let that stop you. Show her that you're better than whatever loser she's with"

"I don't think you'll want me to do that. You see, the loser that she's with is you" Pascal looked away, not wanting to see Eugene's reaction. Eugene just sat there with his eyes wide open.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled or it**'**s characters and I am in no way affiliated with Disney**

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><p>"my girlfriend?" Eugene's eyes widened<p>

"Yes" Pascal squeaked.

"Does she know about this?" Eugene took another drink of his beer.

"No! And don't you dare tell her. I don't want things to be weird between her and I. You really have nothing to worry about because I have no shot with her against you" Pascal sighed

Truly Eugene was worried, not because he thought Pascal was the type to steal his girlfriend but because Pascal was more the type he pictured Rapunzel with. Pascal had a lot in common with Rapunzel and he was loyal while Eugene could never commit to a woman before. Pascal was optimistic and Eugene was angry at the world for the difficulties in his life.

"I won't tell her, no worries. I guess this little crush explains your dislike for me" Eugene smirked

"Partially. I thought you were an ass. I thought you were self centered and obnoxious and rude. You aren't like that though, at least not with Rapunzel. I can be jealous of you but I can't hate you as long as you are good to her"

"Wow, getting all touchy feely on the man date now are you?" Eugene chuckled, "Look, I know I'm not known for being the perfect boyfriend but I really do care about Rapunzel. I'm going to try to do things right"

"You better do things right or you'll have me to deal with me" Pascal narrowed his eyes.

"Pascal, you really aren't that threatening" Eugene chuckled.

"Don't underestimate me. I look small and wimpy in order to throw people off" Pascal says matter of factly.

"Well, I don't think you will be needing to show me your secret skills anytime soon, or hopefully ever"

After another beer the guys decide that they better be getting back to the hotel room. Rapunzel seemed like the type to worry if they got home late and she did say that she didn't want them to be drunk. Meanwhile, back at the hotel Rapunzel and Dana were laying on their stomachs eating cheetos

"So how was your time with your boyfriend? Did you really go makeout in the hot tub? Eugene said it feels really good to make out in a hot tub, does it?" Rapunzel asked

"we had a great time and yes we did make out in a hot tub. You should try it. It is really amazing" Dana laughed

"well I don't know if I should try it." Rapunzel laughed nervously.

"Is Eugene a good kisser? He looks like he would be. If he's a good kisser than go for it"

"oh he is! I mean I have never kissed anyone else so I have no one to compare to but his kisses gave me butterflies. His lips are so soft and he's surprisingly gentle" Rapunzel sighed.

"Then make out with him!" Right after Dana finished saying that the guys walked into the room.

"you're back! How was your outing? Are you guys best friends?" Rapunzel ran up to Eugene and hugged him.

"Maybe not best friends but we're getting along better" he kissed her lips softly.

"wonderful!" she parted from Eugene and then hugged Pascal. After the hug she gave Pascal a quick little peck on the cheek. Pascal started to blush red and Eugene lashed him a little smirk

"You guys both smell like alcohol" Rapunzel scrunched up her nose, "Are you guys drunk?"

"No, don't worry. I wouldn't let Eugene get drunk" Pascal grinned proudly. Eugene just rolled his eyes at him

"Good boy Pascal" Rapunzel giggled

"Anyway, I better get going so Rapunzel can put her plan into place" Dana winked at Rapunzel before walking out the door.

"Plan? What plan?" Pascal asked.

"My plan to sleep. I'm tired. Bed time! Lets go" Rapunzel said quickly. After a little tossing and turning Rapunzel noticed Pascal was asleep so she tapped Eugene's shoulder lightly

"psst Eugene, are you sleepy yet?" Rapunzel whispered

"not really. Why? You want to talk?" Eugene turned to face her in the bed

"Actually I was wondering if you wanted to go to the hot tub. It's our last night here and I don't think we should pass up our chance to makeout in a hot tub." She whispered

"Alright let's go" Eugene said excitedly

Rapunzel was really nervous to take off her towel and reveal her bathing suit once they got to the hot tub. It was a black one piece with little pink polka dots. She didn't like that it was tight to her body, hugging every curve and bump.

"you coming in?" Eugene asked after he sat down in the water, making sure to rest his cast on the deck beside him.

"oh…Umm ya" She blushed a bit

She threw off her towel and got into the water as fast as possible so Eugene wouldn't see too much of her body.

"Come on, why are you being so shy? You look hot. I mean beautiful….beautiful is a better word. Get over here" he smirked.

Rapunzel came and sat down right beside him. "It's just weird you seeing me like this"

"In a bathing suit?" Eugene laughed

"yes, it's so tight. It sticks right to my tummy" she pulled the fabric off her stomach and let it go again

"That's what I like. It's easier for me to see your beautiful body" he kissed her cheek

"well, I like you in a bathing suit too. It let's me see your chest" She said the last part without even thinking, it just slipped out

"Oooh, so you like that? Maybe the screaming when we first met was all an act" he whispered seductively into her ear.

"It wasn't an act. It was more your bare…it was below the waist that I wasn't a fan of seeing. I always liked your chest" she blushed.

"And I always liked your's too" Eugene smirked.

"oh, oh my…" her blush increased, "May..maybe we should just get to the making out now"

"Are you so sure you want that? You seem so nervous"

"I just think I'd be bad at it. I want to take it slow but hot tub making out is apparently amazing so I don't want you to miss the chance"

"Then we'll take it slow. No making out for now" he smiles softly, "I won't rush you" he gave her a soft kiss

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><p><strong>Author's note: I start school again on Sept 10 so starting then I will not have as much time to write. I love this story so I am certainly continuing it, new chapters will just take a little longer to be uploaded. Thank you :D<strong>


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled or it's characters and I am in no way affiated with Disney**

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><p>"One hot chocolate with sprinkles and whip cream" Eugene sat down at a table in the chalet where Rapunzel was waiting. They were all packed up and ready to head home but Rapunzel had insisted that they get some hot chocolate before they leave<p>

"Thank you! Eugene! Your's has no toppings on it. Do you want some of mine?" Rapunzel eyes his mug with a concerned face

"No, it's alright. I already ate all the whip cream because I couldn't wait" Eugene shrugged. Rapunzel brought her mug to her lips and took a sip, licking her lips afterwards.

"It's so yummy!" Rapunzel said excitedly, not realizing that some whip cream had rubbed onto her nose

"You've got some on your nose" Eugene chuckled. Rapunzel crossed her eyes to look at the little white smudge on her nose. Before she can rub it off Eugene quickly leans in and licks it off.

"Oh my goodness!" Rapunzel blushed, "That's a new way to clean a mess"

"That was yummy" Eugene smirked. Rapunzel bit her lip and wiped some whip cream on his nose with her finger and then she licked it off.

"You're right. That's very yummy!" Rapunzel grinned.

"You ready to go?" Eugene asked once Rapunzel had emptied her mug.

"Ya" Rapunzel shrugged, "Eugene, I've been asking for a lot of things the last few days and you're probably sick of me but I have one more favour to ask. Can we stop by the Snuggly Duckling? I want to see my friends there. I told them I'd let them now about how school was going . Also. I think they'd want to meet my boyfriend"

"I'm not sick of you at all. You're my girlfriend, so I want to spend all the time I can with you"  
>"Good! Now, just a warning that the guys at the pub are very protective of me. I'm like a little sister to them. So they might ask you a lot of questions and stuff but they'll back down when they see that you're a sweetie and you care a lot about me"<p>

"I certainly hope that a room full of thugs will back down" Eugene chuckled nervously.

"I won't let them hurt you" Rapunzel took his hand and pulled him out of the chair, "Are you sure you'll be alright to drive though since your wrist is broken?" Rapunzel's eyes widen.

"I'll be fine. I've been driving since I've been 14" Eugene shrugged.

"Eugene! That's illegal!" Rapunzel gasped.

"Sweetie, I thought we established that I'm not above doing anything illegal" Eugene smirked.

"You better be above it now!" Rapunzel glared at him.

"I am, I am" He smiled at her. Once they got to the pub Rapunzel ran ahead into the bar.

"Hello!" Rapunzel exclaimed and threw her hands in the air. All the thugs turned to her and immediately smiled before they all rushed to her.

"Rapunzel! How are you? It seems like ages since we've seen you"' Vladimir picked Rapunzel up and hugged her tight as the other thugs gathered around.

"I have been doing just wonderful. School is great! I've even met some new friends!" Rapunzel giggled . Eugene walked in and started to look around. He was certainly concerned about Rapunzel being friends with such a rough looking crowd.

"Sorry Punz, We have some trash to take out" Vlad put Rapunzel down and walked over to Eugene. "Flynn Rider, what are you doing here? Got a big heist planned?" Vlad picked Eugene up by the shoulders.

"No, no. Put him down! He's my friend. I brought him here. He won't steal anything. I promise" Rapunzel begged

"He's with you?" all the thugs said in unison and Vadimir put Eugene down

"Yes, actually he's my boyfriend" Rapunzel hugged Eugene's waist, "Guys, this is Eugene. Eugene, these are the guys Vladmir, Tor, Gunter, Ulf, Atilla, Bruiser, Killer, Fang, Big Nose, Hook Hand and Shorty. I gave them some of those names when I first met them"

"Boyfriend? Our little Rapunzel has a boyfriend? Oh she's growing up so fast" Big Nose sighed

"Wait, before you get all excited we have to see if this boy is good enough for our little Rapunzel" Fang said

"What are your intentions with her?" Killer asked as he pushed Eugene down onto one of the chairs.

"Intentions? I just..umm..want to be with her an make her happy " Eugene stuttered

"Just so we're clear. Rapunzel is not some little toy for you. You will be with her and only her. I know you've had a reputation for being a womanizer. Don't you dare think of hurting her" Gunter threatened

"We're clear. Don't worry, I am devoted to her and only her" Eugene answered. "So, how long have you two been dating ?" Fang asked

"Just a few days. We got to know each other and then Eugene told me that he had a crush on me and then I asked him to be my boyfriend because I like him too" Rapunzel gushed and she sat down on Eugene's lap.

"Oh, so you had a little crush? What attracted you to her?" Bruiser asked

"She's beautiful, that's what attracted me to her initially. Then I got to know her and I saw that she is probably the sweetest person that I have ever encountered in my life. She reminds me of a little ray of sunshine. She's so bright and happy and energetic" Eugene smiled at Rapunnzel and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"aww, how sweet" Big Nose sighed again

"i know, he's such a sweetie" Rapunzel nuzzled her head against Eugene's chest

"And he's been good to you?" Hookhand asked

"He's been perfect! The best!" Rapunzel smiled, "You really have nothing to worry about. So do you approve of him?" Rapunzel looked at her friends with wide, hopeful eyes.

"I suppose we do then" Vladimir shrugs.

"Yay! You passed!" Rapunzel giggled and gave Eugene a quick kiss.

"I suspect you've been behaving. No wild parties or anything?"Atilla asked

"You know me. I'm a good girl! I haven't been to any parties. I have been focusing on school and I've been doing very well. I've been getting A's! Oh in case you've been wondering, I've been behaving with Eugene too. We haven't even made out yet! We've cuddled and kissed though. Oh, and I've seen Eugene naked"

"You what?! And just what we're you doing being naked in front of her? Trying to make a move on her and take advantage of her?" Hookhand narrowed his eyes at Eugene

"No, no. Eugene was a model for one of my drawing classes. I had to draw him naked. That's how we met" Rapunzel said quickly, "Anyway. Enough about me. How are you guys doing?"

"Not much has changed around here. We're happy to see that you have been living your dreams but ours are not any closer to coming true" Hookhand frowned

"Don't give up hope guys. You're all so sweet and talented. It will just be a matter of time before all your dreams come true. That reminds me, Hook, will you play a song for us?"

"Of course young lady" he did a little bow. Rapunzel giggled and then climbed onto the table.

"Rapunzel, what are you doing?" Eugene asked

"I'm going to sing and dance. You should join me" she reached out her hand.

"no thanks, I'll just watch you" he laughed

"But it's fun!" Rapunzel whined. Vladimir picked up Eugene and placed him on the table. "You will do as Rapunzel says!" Vladimir grumbled

"I'm sorry but I don't sing" Eugene smirked.

"you will sing" Vladimir glared.

"Fine" Eugene groaned. As the music started Rapunzel began singing a happy tune and twirling around . Eugene sang along quietly and danced a bit when Rapunzel nudged him. After singing they ate cupcakes and watched a puppet show of Fang's. Right before they left Bruiser measured Rapunzel so he could knit her some sweaters. What no one in the pub knew was that they were being watched by a certain dark haired woman. She'd heard Rapunzel's singing voice as she was walking down the street and was drawn to the pub.

"Jackpot" Gothel smirked


End file.
